To Steal from the Cookie Jar
by XaosDiscordial
Summary: Roman Torchwick is a survivor. No matter what, he'll survive! It's kind of his thing. But when he met Ruby Rose, he worried that she would be the one thing he couldn't. After surviving the fall of Beacon, he goes off in search of his allies - but a chance meeting sets off a romance that could change the fate of the world. As long, of course, as Roman can survive it. (Rosewick AU)
1. DISCLAIMER

**DISCLAIMER:**

**WHEN THIS STORY WAS STARTED (I WAS 17), I HAD NOT FULLY REALISED THE IMPLICATIONS OF **

**DEPICTING ROMAN AND RUBY IN A RELATIONSHIP AS CANON AS POSSIBLE.**

**MOST STORIES AGE ROMAN DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY - BEING YOUNG AND LESS EDUCATED ON SUCH THINGS, I FAILED TO SEE WHY.**

**INSTEAD, I CHOSE TO TRY AND KEEP HIS AGE AS CLOSE TO CANON REASONABILITY AS POSSIBLE.**

**BECAUSE OF THIS, ROMAN APPEARS IN HIS MID TWENTIES AS RUBY IS 16-17 THROUGHOUT MOST OF THE STORY.**

**I HAD NOT ANTICIPATED THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS, AND SINCE I FINISHED THIS STORY IT HAS WEIGHED**

**ON ME FOR A WHILE SINCE I DID NOT WISH TO GET RID OF SOMETHING I WAS VERY PROUD OF **

**AND YET COULD NOT APPROVE OF THE ACCIDENTAL IMPLICATIONS HIDDEN WITHIN.**

**SOME PARTS OF THIS STORY (ESPECIALLY SOME PARTS OF THE FIRST CHAPTER) I NOW FEEL ARE INAPPROPRIATE.**

**WHILE I AM PROUD OF THIS FIC, AS THE FIRST I FINISHED, AND WILL THEREFORE LEAVE THIS UP,**

** I FEEL NOW A MORAL RESPONSIBILITY TO DECLARE THAT:**

**THIS FIC DOES NOT CONDONE PEDOPHILIA, OFTEN REFERRED TO AS 'MAPs' (MINOR ATTRACTED PERSONS).**

**NEITHER DO I, IT'S WRITER. IF YOU ARE A 'MAP' / A PEDOPHILE, GET OUT.**

**PARTS OF THIS STORY THAT HAVE PROBLEMATIC CONSEQUENCES SHOULD BE VIEWED IN THE CONTEXT THAT I,**

**A 17 YEAR OLD, DID NOT HAVE THE PERSPECTIVE I DO NOW AND EVEN THEN WOULD NOT HAVE ENDORSED THESE THINGS.**

**I WAS SIMPLY UNAWARE OF THE FULL BREADTH OF THE IMPLICATIONS, AND IF I HAD BEEN AWARE I WOULD**

**NEVER HAVE STARTED WRITING IT IN THE FIRST PLACE.**

**I APOLOGISE FOR ANY OFFENCE OR HURT I MAY HAVE CAUSED ANYONE. MY WRITING IS INTENDED TO MAKE PEOPLE HAPPIER,**

**NOT TO HURT ANYBODY AND THE IDEA THAT I LEFT THIS DUTY GO UNATTENDED IN THIS INSTANCE FOR SO LONG**

**HAS BEEN A LEAD WEIGHT IN MY STOMACH FOR MANY MONTHS.**

**THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT THIS STORY CANNOT BE ENJOYED AS IT IS - I STILL FEEL IT IS A GOOD STORY **

**THAT I AM PROUD OF FROM ITS UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS - ONLY THAT IT BE RECOGNISED THAT**

**I DO NOT ENDORSE PEDOPHILIA IN ANY OF ITS FORMS. **

**SORRY AGAIN, AND I HOPE YOU CAN ENJOY THE STORY WITH THAT IN MIND.**

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**This really has been grating on me for a while, so I finally decided to say something about it. Sorry if you were brought here by a notification that made you excited for a new chapter - It might happen on Christmas, but that depends. I hope to get back into writing for my other stories soon, but that also depends.**

**It's a difficult time right now, and a lot of things have changed since I started this story mid 2019 (from outside factors like COVID to inside factors like my gender identity!) but this whole issue about some of the implications of this story - especially the first chapter - has been brewing since before the story even finished, and I figured that if I can't do anything else right now, I can at least try and sort out this.**

**I hope to get a chapter of Doc Ruby finished today (in the works since December) but I don't know if that'll happen. **

**I just want to thank you so much for all of your support of me over the past two years. It's been near-literally life-changing, and I'm so grateful!**

**For those of you who are new to this story (and haven't been put off by the disclaimer) - welcome (Unless, as stated, you are a MAP/Otherwise Pedophilic) and I hope you enjoy the story. **

**See you dreckly!**


	2. Prologue

**Hey guys! New fic - I have writer's block on the other one due to a number of reasons, so I started another project that I could get through easier.**

**Dunno how often I'll update this one. Maybe once a week? Time will tell.**

**Now this is a Rosewick story, so for decency's sake I have aged down Torchwick. In my main head-cannon, he is 33 at the start of the story - way too old for a 15yo Ruby. However, In this one, he is _23_ at the beginning - still breaks most known rules about dating ages, but is definitely more reasonable, especially since this story mostly takes place in Mistral after the Battle of Haven, at which point (in my head-cannon) she is 17, making Torchwick 25. Still a bit of a stretch, but not so much as a 35yo Torchwick would be. Hell, he's a criminal - what's one more taboo broken?**

**Personally - not the hugest fan of Rosewick. But it's a challenge - mainly because A) I'm new to romance writing, B) Rosewick is a mildly controversial ship and C)Rosewick is in my opinion a difficult ship to write. I feel this way because most portrayals of the ship (of which there are few, Rosewick has a sad lack of content) either significantly change the age of the characters or significantly change the personality of one of the characters. I, therefore, have taken the most challenging route - finding reason within the scope and possibility allowed by the show for a relationship to flourish while keeping their ages and personalities relatively intact.**

**Also spoilers - here Roman survives the Fall of Beacon. Obviously.**

**I mean, eight years is not the biggest age difference I've seen. A hero and a criminal - what could go wrong?**

* * *

**To Steal from the Cookie Jar**

**A Rosewick Story**

**Chapter 1 - Prologue**

/-/

The first Roman knew something was wrong was when one of his henchmen flew through the window.

It was supposed to be a fairly simple robbery – nothing new for him. A few hired men from that 'Junior' kid and a late evening and it should have gone off without a hitch.

Operative word there is 'should'.

Without a word, Roman sent some more men to deal with the problem. They were shortly sent through the window to join their colleague, followed by a red blur. The kid stopped in the street, turned back to them, and clicked off her headphones, a massive scythe stabbed into the ground behind her.

And by gods was this girl stunning.

She had the body of a fighter, and that automatically made her drop-dead gorgeous – at least compared to most women – but her clothing and that little smile sealed the deal, the black-and-red corset highlighting her otherwise non-existent curves. At first glance, her hair appeared black, but closer inspection of the thinner tips and tufts of hair where the light bled through showed the true, very deep red tone to her hair.

Redhead vs redhead. How quaint.

Still, she looked worryingly young, and unlike Junior's boys, who were still gawking, Roman was not prepared to take that risk. He schooled his features glanced over at his men.

"Okay… Get her!"

The sharp command stirred them into action, leaping forward with weapons brandished. The girl became a whirlwind of red in response, knocking the men around the street like a freaky game of pinball. Shortly, all of the men were left sprawling on the cobbles. Seems that Junior wouldn't be hearing back from them. Time to go.

"You were worth every cent. Truly, you were." He stepped through the threshold, now filled with broken glass, then dropped his cigar, crushing it under his cane. "Well, Red, I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening, and as much as I'd _love_ to stick around…" He lifted his cane and flipped open the reticule. "I'm afraid this is where we part ways."

With a single shot, Roman was off, swinging his cane to the side and loosing the grappling hook from the handle. Within seconds, he was up above the ground, climbing up a ladder onto a nearby building. He moved quickly onto the roof, and was mostly across when the girl dropped down behind him.

"Hey!"

Roman looked back, and his mind raced until he heard the Bullhead moving behind him.

"Persistent…"

As the cute girl readied to fight him, he heard the sound of engines grow quickly closer. Suddenly, the Bullhead rose up behind him, and he leapt into the opening hatch. He spun, holding up his trump card: a fire dust gem.

"End of the line, Red."

He threw the crystal out, then shot it. The resulting explosion brought a smile to his face and a laugh to his lips. As adorably beautiful as that girl was, seeing someone so strong so easily defeated always gave him mirth. He laughed loudly but stopped when the clearing dust revealed something.

A blonde, older woman in a purple cape was standing in front of the girl, holding some kind of riding crop. Her whole style screamed teacher – and not in an entirely professional way. Hot damn.

However, Roman was surprisingly not as interested as he had been for the kid. Perhaps he liked them younger. Not quite _that_ young, though. That was probably a bad idea.

The woman waved her wand, and several streaks of purple shot at the Bullhead, shaking the craft and throwing Roman around like a ragdoll. He desperately worked his way to the cockpit.

The pilot was shrouded in the dark, but Roman had very good eyes. He'd know that dress and those black locks anywhere. She seemed to be mildly struggling, and Roman almost smiled to see her finding something difficult. He shook his head imperceptibly – keep focus!

"We got a huntress!"

Cinder abandoned the controls and stalked her way to the hatch, hips swinging imperceptibly. Shockingly, it was not alluring as he had expected it to be. Was he growing numb or something? Quickly, Roman took the controls.

He noticed a storm cloud rapidly forming above the craft, dark and imposing.

"The hell…?"

Suddenly, shards of sharp hail began to pummel the jet, one shooting through the window and narrowly missed his head.

"Holy-"

The controls began to tug at his hands, and he desperately tried to wrest control of the craft back from the strong winds and heavy blows the Bullhead was taking. Suddenly, the jet rolled to the side, and he adjusted its lean to mitigate the damage as lights flashed on the dash.

Suddenly, he heard Cinder shout to move, covering her yell with an explosion. He manipulated the controls to close the hatch, pulling away with speed. Soon, the Bullhead was far away from the roof. Cinder returned to the cockpit.

"Are they dead?"

"No. Unfortunately…"

Roman clicked on the autopilot and slumped in his seat. "Gods damned huntresses… can't work with 'em!"

"Quite. Luckily, I don't think they saw me, so the plan is still safe. However, I'd like to know _how_ you attracted a huntress."

"That's the thing, I don't know! I'm robbing the place, and the kid was looking at some magazines. So she takes out my men, I almost take _her_ out, and that blonde bitch arrives! Where did she even come from? There was nobody for miles."

"A fair point. This had better not complicate things, Roman…"

"You know, If I knew what it was you were doing, I could _tell you_ if this complicated things."

"Ah but Roman… you knowing my plans would complicate things even _more_. And that's not a risk I'm willing to take." She brought a hand up and brushed his hair aside, casually bringing a small flame to the finger in front of his oft-hidden right eye. "I'm sure you understand."

"Crystal." As Cinder glided away dangerously, he noticed there had been a lot less attraction there than last time.

"Well that's ominous. Gods, I _hope_ that's not some omen." He took back control of the Bullhead, distracting himself with the flashing lights. "I'm Roman Torchwick! I don't have _time _for freaky omens."

The Bullhead disappeared into the dark.

/-/

"Gods damnit!"

Roman slammed his fist into the wall of his warehouse, gritting his teeth. It should have been an easy catch – go in with some of those White Fang animals, grab as much dust as they could carry, get out of there.

Operative word there is 'should'.

First, some cat girl showed up and tried to appeal to the Fang recruits, which obviously didn't work, and apparently, she brought some monkey kid. Still, they were hunters-in-training. Annoying, yes, but manageable. He'd almost had them, too!

Then little Red had shown up, and he had got a sudden feeling of deja-vu.

Still, he had tried to blast her to stop her from bringing the whole of Vale down upon us. Apparently that had been a mistake, as her new friend had absolutely wrecked his Bullheads, and he had barely escaped with his life.

Also a redhead. Go figure. Almost his exact shade. Green eyes too. It had been like looking into an adorable mirror.

But even all of that was not enough to make him angry. No, that had been what had happened afterwards – the thing that had him fuming and Neo giggling silently.

See, little Red had now thwarted him twice. _Twice._ So, of course, he had looked her up, called in some connections. The works. All to figure out who she was, how she was doing this, beating him. And what he had found had _not _made him happy.

_I was beaten by a 15-year-old._

And, as embarrassing as that prospect was, even that was not enough to make him so angry. No, it was the other thing that got Neo giggling.

_I was __**attracted**__ to a 15-year-old._

Neo lifted her hands shakily to sign, trying to hold back mirthful tears.

"_Look on the bright side! You didn't go for it!"_

"Yes, but I considered it, and that's worse! What am I, a paedophile? Quit laughing, it ain't funny."

"_Kind of is, Dad." _She settled a little, and once the giggling was out of her system, began to sign again. _"Plenty of fish in the sea, right?"_

Roman just sighed. It had been hard to place until he had seen her again, but ever since they had first met, no woman had the same attention-grabbing nature they may have had before. It was really why he was so bothered; it was less that he was attracted to her, but that he was _more_ attracted to her than anyone else.

"_And anyway, you could wait. She's 16 next year. That's legal!"_

"In Vacuo, maybe. 17 here. Anyway, that's creepy. I'm not some child groomer. Hell, I _kill_ child groomers! Also, that's an 8 year age gap either way."

"_Not the largest I've seen."_

"What happened to 'divide by two, add seven'? Because I tried that, and it won't work for six years."

"_There are exceptions."_

"And I have a feeling that this ain't one of them. Hell, why are you so supportive? You kind of _beg_ for my attention sometimes. I can't see you encouraging something that would endanger that, so why are you?"

Neo shrugged. "_You'd be cute together. Also, I'm lonely. I want a mom."_

Roman's eyes widened. "A mom? Thought you'd adopt one of our 'friends' if that were the case. What about Cinder?"

"_Bitch."_

"The street rat?"

"_Another bitch."_

"Fair enough." Roman took another drag from his cigar, ignoring the dirty look from Neo as he did so. "Wait, but why Re- I mean, why Ruby? She's the enemy!"

Neo was silent for a second, before shrugging again.

"_She sounds cuter than anyone else."_

Roman laughed. "Well, you're not wrong. Still, I'm not comfortable courting a 15-year-old, cuteness be damned. I'll just hold on and hope I forget her. In all likely-hood, I'll never see her again, and that's probably a good thing."

/-/

_Are you fuckin' __kidding me?_

Roman decided to reflect on how it was that Ruby Rose was standing before him once more.

It should have been a fairly simple presentation – go out there, get the Fang recruits eating from his palms, show off the Paladin, be generally helpful.

Operative word there is 'should'.

When he had seen the cat girl and her monkey friend in the crowd however… The girl had tried to disguise herself, but it was undone by the boy's blatant ignorance of logic. He was feeling bitter after learning of the age of his 'crush' as Neo so _aptly_ put it, so he felt it was the perfect time for some retribution. He was sure the girl's father would _love_ to have his daughter back, if in several pieces – if she thought she was hiding her identity from 'Roman fucking Torchwick', she had another thing coming.

Then they blew the lights.

The perfect opportunity to test out his new Paladin, he had thought. When the blonde chick and her blue-haired friend showed up with a _Schnee_ of all people, he began to worry.

He might have found Blondie hot once, but due to whatever 'little Red' had done to his head, he could do nothing but recognise her attractiveness. However, that was overshadowed by the horror he felt at her eerily familiar facial structure.

This girl was Raven Branwen's infamous daughter.

Before he could fully clock that little tid-bit, though, the Schnee had made his Paladin slip on ice, sending him sprawling off the ramp and onto the ground. He had looked up as he made to stand, and guess who?

_How?!_

Suddenly, the cat girl, the Schnee and Blondie dropped next to her. A wall of red, white, black and yellow.

_Oh._

_Wait – __**this**__ is team RWBY?!_

An ex-terrorist faunus princess, the rich heir to a racist corporation and the daughter of the most notorious bandit queen in the world – a worthy team for the girl who had stolen the heart of Vale's greatest thief.

Roman masked his worry with a chuckle, taking a heavy step forwards.

"Freezerburn!"

_What did she – oh, team attacks. I remember those._ Blondie and the Schnee (that name was becoming tedious to think) leapt forward, one producing ice and the other punching it. As a heavy mist flew up and the laser sensors turned on, Roman felt that familiar sense of deja-vu.

The lights were flashing warningly, and the machine's weapons went on autopilot to try and kill the girls. A shot flew into the mist, and out of the blast came Ruby, swinging like crazy.

"Checkmate!"

The cat girl and the Schnee (he really needed new names for them… Kitty Cat worked… Ice Queen! Ha!) went for the feet, Ice Queen stabbing one of his sensors and leaping off a glyph. Roman tried to stamp on Kitty Cat, Ice Queen summoned one of her famous glyphs to launch the black-haired girl backwards. Roman growled and fired off the missiles, but the girls did backflips over them.

Finally, he saw his chance and sent a double energy blast at the Schnee. She flew back, but sent a shot down to her accomplice, under whom a golden clockwork circle formed. It absorbed into Kitty Cat, and she sliced into the missiles with unnatural speed and ease.

"Ladybug!"

Ruby shot forward and went swinging with her cat friend, both circling each other around the Paladin at taking pot shots. Suddenly, they both came down together on the left shoulder and the left arm was sliced off.

Blondie leapt onto the Paladin's back and began to punch holes into the metal. Roman was knocked around in the cabin but put the Paladin in reverse. It walked backwards through two columns before leaving Blondie embedded in the third. Roman turned the Paladin around and punched her with the remaining arm, sending her flying through the column.

The blonde got up slowly, glowing white. Roman, sensing victory, threw a punch down, but she caught it in her own hand.

_Well this won't end well._

She took a devastating swing and obliterated the arm completely. Roman kicked her to the side in a panic, and she flew towards her team.

"Bumblebee!"

Kitty Cat threw her weapon out on a ribbon and Blondie caught it, swinging the momentum of her flight round to bear on the robot. Roman narrowly missed her punch, stepping to the side to avoid her.

"Ice Flower!"

Roman was suddenly hit by a blast that formed large icicles on the Paladin. Ruby kept shooting, the ice enveloping the entire robot. Blondie comes round using Kitty Cat's weapon and, unable to dodge, Roman and his Paladin were sent flying, shattered by the force.

Now evicted from his safe cabin, Roman stood, dazed. He covered his emotions again by brushing his suit down.

"_Just_ got this thing cleaned…"

He looked up to see a shot from Blondie's gauntlets flying towards him, but before he could react, Neo dropped in front of him, catching the bullet on her umbrella. She settled the weapon on her shoulder as Roman looked over at team RWBY.

"Ladies, Ice Queen…"

"Hey!"

"Always a pleasure. Neo, if you would…"

Neo curtsied with a bow, scanning the team, her eyes lingering on Ruby. Yang charged forward with fists raised.

The world shattered, and they were back in the Bullhead. After they flew away and the door closed, Roman slumped.

Neo looked at him and raised her hands.

"_So that was Ruby? She __**is**__ cute. Can we keep her?"_

Roman sighed. So much for never seeing her again. Now it was back to trying to forget her.

What a team! No wonder they kept showing up.

Next time, he would be prepared.

/-/

Roman was not surprised.

It should have been a fairly simple job – corral the Fang, get the train ready for its deployment.

Operative word there is fairly obvious by now.

When Ruby Rose showed up, he was unsurprised, though he made a good show of it. To be honest, the interrogation was mostly for show – though a part of him did enjoy dishing out revenge for the turmoil that Ruby had unknowingly inflicted upon him. If she became jaded or something (though he doubted it) then gave up, that would be helpful. If she turned to his side? Even better!

Wait, was he even considering being with her now? He shook his head – that was impossible. Also, he may be a criminal, but he wasn't a monster – he'd at least wait till she's legal! Still, even as he mocked her poor hand-to-hand, part of him wanted to help teach her. Luckily, the rest of him was busy choking that part to death.

The arrival of her friends was annoying, but not unexpected – he managed to get the train going as fast as possible and sent Neo off to stop Branwen's kid.

Blondie was strong. Too strong for him. Not too strong for Neo.

The White Fang did a poor job of shaking them. He wasn't particularly racist, but very few people will fault you for calling _ordinary_ terrorists animals. It's just these ones actually _were_ part animal. It was fun to play into it to rile them up, but right now, he felt justified; seeing how they fumbled to fight and fell off the side was just depressing.

However, his attempts to split the team up were evidently successful, as a lone Belladonna stood before him now.

"Hello kitty cat. You miss me? You know, we really gotta stop meeting like this. People are gonna talk…"

The girl charged forward, and Roman struck her, only for her body to explode, propelling him into the air. She jumped up and knocked him down, landing on her feet.

Roman fired at her, but she dodged and leapt over, feinting a second time. Roman blocked a flurry of attacks in quick succession and tried to strike overhead, but she jumped back, trapping his cane in an ice clone. He tried to remove it, but she sent a shockwave down the train car, destroying the ice cone and sending him sprawling. When he tried to get up, the girl stepped on his chest and pointed a blade at his throat.

Roman chuckled nervously, wondering how to stop her. Quickly, he comes to a conclusion.

"Why are we even fighting? I saw you at the rally, we're on the same side and you know it."

She pressed her sword into his throat, and he grunted in mild pain.

"Oh, still feisty. Soooo, what are we gonna do now? You think a little bow on top is gonna make people forget who you were? What you've done?"

The girl gritted her teeth. The train car door behind her suddenly opened and the Schnee girl was thrown through, followed by the White Fang Lieutenant who's name Roman couldn't remember. He held his chainsaw up menacingly. Roman smiled internally.

"So what's it gonna be, Blake?"

There it was – the name-drop. Adam had been quite insistent the past few weeks, so Roman would have to be stupid to _not_ pick it up. That had helped his research immensely; research he had been doing because he wanted to be prepared, not because he had wanted to see Ruby again.

Definitely not.

It appeared that he had miscalculated, though, because the last thing he saw was a shoe descending onto his face.

_Shit._

/-/

Escaping prison had been easy. It should have been easier to take over the ship and screw with the Atlas tech.

What was that about operative words?

However, with Neo on his side, the fight had been far easier than he had expected. Ruby was hanging on for dear life, easily beaten by Neo. He knew he should kill her and get back inside before the ship crashed or the Grimm got them, but a part of him wanted Ruby still. Wanted to appeal, to convince her.

It wouldn't hurt to try, right?

"I may be a gambling man, but even _I_ know there are some bets you _just don't take._"

Neo dragged her blade against the craft, holding Ruby at sword point.

"Like it or not, the people that hired me are going to change the world! You can't stop 'em, I can't stop 'em!"

Ruby struggled aimlessly, kicking the odd Nevermore that came her way.

"You know the old saying. 'If you can't beat 'em-"

Ruby suddenly lurched towards Neo, opening her parasol. With a fearful gasp, Neo flew off into the Grimm infested skies.

"Neo!"

"I don't care what you say!" Ruby stood up, readying herself. "We _will_ stop them and I _will_ stop you! _BET ON THAT_!"

She charged forward, but Roman was ready. Roman caught her projectile with the hook handle of his cane and hurled it back, sending her sprawling. He smacked her with his cane, firing a shot into her stomach.

"You got spirit, Red. But this is the _real_ world!"

Roman knocked her back with his cane again, fury overriding sense. Neo had _wanted_ to spare her – not that she could have known – and she had died for it. How dare she hurt his friend, his partner, nay, his daughter?!

"The_ real_ world is _cold!_"

Roman landed another cosh on her legs. His feelings didn't matter anymore. Neo was hurt. Ruby had to die.

"The_ real_ world doesn't _care_ about spirit!"

He prepared a downward strike, but Ruby caught his knee with a kick, sending him off balance.

"You wanna be a hero!? Then play the part and _die_ like every other huntsman in history!"

He knocked Ruby onto the metal surface, smashing her repeatedly with his cane. He didn't care how long it would take; she was dead. He would make sure of that.

"As for me? I'll do what I do best: lie, steal, cheat and _SURVIVE_!"

It was like fate had heard him, as when he reared back for a final swing, he saw a bony jaw envelop him. In his moment of shock, a stray thought came to him.

_Oh yeah. The Grimm. Forgot they were here._

/-/

Many hours later, it the collapsed city of Vale, an abandoned, crashed airship burned quietly. Next to it, an Alpha Griffon lay dead, dissolving slowly. Despite the lack of life in the area surrounding it, the grimm's stomach wriggled conspicuously. If anyone was left alive nearby, they would think the Griffon was somehow returning to life.

Suddenly, a small knife burst through the creature's side, sliding across it's furry hide. From the new slit burst a red body, covered in smoking grimm-flesh and soaked with blood not entirely his own.

He pushed his sodden hair back to reveal two sparking emerald eyes, greedily drinking in the new stimulus. He gasped before diving back in, returning seconds later with a cane and a broken phone. The thing would have been useless anyway – anyone who he could have called would have changed numbers by now to avoid detection.

_Gods, what a way to discover your semblance!_

Roman Torchwick rested for a second, before his eyes travelled up to his own head.

_Wait a sec…_

"Where's my hat?"

* * *

**And there we go ladies and gentlemen - the scene is set. See you in Mistral!**

**Oh and yes, I have made Neo Roman's adopted daughter in this fic. I could see it going either way (henchman or daughter, young or old) but here, her being his 'daughter' serves the plot far better than a powerful henchman, a partner in crime or even a lover. The show leaves this largely ambiguous up til where I'm at (Volume 6) so if this is disproven later on, I don't care. I like this head-cannon - it sets things up nicely. Also, yes - Neo is Rosewick trash. I find that idea really funny.**

**So yeah - prepare for the time-skip.**

**NEXT TIME:**

**Roman arrives in Mistral in search of Neo, but he finds something quite different waiting for him.**

**What will it be? Will he survive? Will he ever find his hat?**

**Find out next time. Adios!**


	3. Resurrection

**Hi guys! Thanks for all the support! **

**Yeah, so in the reviews Karvost pointed out that Roman was eaten by a Griffon, not a Nevermore, so I'll go back and fix that.**

**A little clarification - This next chapter takes place before and just after Cinder's attack on Haven. As I have assumed that team RWBY were on the Argus Limited for about a day or less before they were attacked, that means they leave Mistral about a month after the Battle of Haven (assuming Cinder's scenes are not occurring 2 weeks after RWBY is already in Atlas), and since they are shown to decide on Argus at _least_ the day after the attack, this means they needed a reason to _not_ jump on the first train to Argus. And yes, I know this contradicts Qrow's statement in V6:C1 that it had been 'two weeks' since Haven but come on, the show's sense of timing and continuity is wonky even at its best. If you want to get a clear and solid timeline to work from, you have to throw some things out!**

**If you can't tell, I've stressed a lot over this.**

**Also, as Ruby is 16 during V5 and 17 at the start of V6, this all means that her birthday occurred in that one month they were in Mistral post-Haven. As there is no mention of this during either Volume, it is assumable that it occurs as far away from either event as possible, meaning two weeks after V5 and two weeks before V6. This puts V5 into Late September/Early October. I can work with this.**

**Without further ado, I give you chapter two.**

* * *

**To Steal from the Cookie Jar**

**A Rosewick Story**

**Chapter 2 - Resurrection**

/-/

**[A year later]**

_Ah, Mistral never changes._

Roman walked along the dirty street, looking around himself casually. He could see the marks of the Spiders everywhere, and as little as he could afford to look worried, he also couldn't afford to be recognised. He'd managed it this far; he wouldn't give Cinder any reason to look for him.

Neo had learned well from him – had barely left a trail, her travels invisible to proper authorities.

Roman was not the proper authorities.

Therefore, what little he could garner had made a trail and that trail had led him here. He just had to find her next move – or better yet find _her_. If he had to risk discovery to find her? So be it.

He had to find her.

He hurried along, speeding up as he turned into an alley. Most of his contacts were gone, but perhaps he could use somebody else's. He just needed to contact _them_ first. Unfortunately, the only person he felt he could trust (other that Neo) had been outside of his reach.

Until now.

He walked into an inn, noticing eyes on him. He pulled up his hood and walked over to the bar.

"What can I do for ya?"

The cheery bartender smiled from behind the counter, but there was a strained quality to it – perhaps he thought Roman was some criminal, considering the local area.

Roman smiled inwardly. The guy was kind of right.

"I need a room." He spoke quietly and little, hoping nobody nearby would recognise his voice. He had been louder before, so the quiet probably helped a lot.

"Sure thing." He began to list room prices, and Roman picked the cheapest one. He was low on money at the moment, having switched to cheap cigarettes to facilitate his habit. How the mighty have fallen.

"Anything else?"

"I'm looking for an Isaac Randol. Lawyer. Heard the name?"

"Maybe. What's he look like?"

"Brown hair, orange eyes. Mid-length hair. Rings a bell?"

The bartender looked thoughtful, then checked his books.

"Isaac, Isaac… Ah! Isaac A. Randol, he's got a room here."

"Can I go up to him?"

The bartender opened his mouth, but closed it quickly, looking him up and down.

"I'm sorry, but I need to call up to him first. I can't have people walking up to peoples rooms – I'm sure you understand."

"Sure."

He walked over to a dusty holographic panel, punching in some numbers. He looked at Roman expectantly.

"What's your name, sir?"

Roman took a moment to think. A name? He quickly chose the one he might know. Who knew annoying nicknames could be handy?

"Matchstick. Tell him it's a friend of Crimson."

"Right." The man went back to the panel, talking through the mouthpiece at somebody. Soon he returned to Roman.

"You can go up now. Room 2."

"Thanks."

Roman went through the side door and up the stairs. He came to a door with the number 2 on it and knocked. It opened to reveal a pair of squinted eyes.

"Matchstick, right?"

"What I'm going with, yes."

The man looked him up and down before allowing him entry. In the centre of the room, a glowing console sat. As Roman passed into its sight, 'Isaac' called out to it.

"He's here, boss."

"Thank you Isaac." The screen fuzzed and hissed, before an image appeared on it. Gold eyes, Red hair and fox ears greeted him.

"Hi kid."

"Matchy, is that you?" The boy on the other side squinted into whatever screen he was looking at, strange accent prominent in his voice, before his eyes widened. "Holy… where in Remnant have you been? We thought you were dead!"

"Hiding. After I survived, I knew my employers would want me dead anyway. So if people _think_ I'm dead, I'd like to keep it that way."

"Smart. But how the hell did you survive? What happened?"

"Eaten by a grimm. Semblance saved me."

"Semblance?"

"Yeah, what a way to find out your semblance, eh? Still, I need your help."

"Sure! I can get Lilac out to you in an hour if you-"

"Not yet. I'm looking for Neo."

"Oh." Crimson searched his desk for documents. "Well, considering you're in Mistral, we're on the same page. The trail has gone cold, so either Neo has evaded both you and my spies…"

"Or she's still here in Mistral."

"Exactly! Speaking of, why are you only speaking to me _now?_ I had men in Vale."

"Isaac was the only name I could remember, and my scroll was lost in the fall."

"Ah. Where are you staying?"

"Here, further up."

"Right. Well, you find Neo and call me, then I'll send Lilac in to pick you up. You can tell me of your adventures in person. And don't talk to Isaac again; you might blow his cover."

"I take it that isn't just a request?"

"I'll make you a _request_ when you are back to running a major gang. Right now, I'm the kingpin in this relationship."

Roman laughed, plugging in his scroll to receive the contact details. He left Isaac's room shortly after, heading upstairs to check his own room out.

Having allies again was the best feeling in the world.

/-/

"Well at least now we know what it is. And we'll be sure to keep it safe!"

Everyone nodded as Ruby finished, smiling at Ozpin earnestly. His 'condition' of being inside Oscar's body had been hard to get used to, but she could finally see where the distinction between the two lay. Ozpin smiled back.

"Hold on, aren't we glossing over how we actually get to Argus?" Jaune held up a finger in question.

Qrow sighed. "Well, after what happened at Haven the council has temporarily closed the train lines. The Argus Limited is moving out in about four weeks."

"A month!?" Nora slammed her head against the floor, which she had gone back to lying on. "We're gonna be stuck here for a month!?" She whined, curling up onto her side.

"Nora…" Ren knelt down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"Well if we're going to be stuck here for a month, we need food. How about we eat out tonight? To celebrate?" Yang laid back against the sofa, sliding down it comically.

"Sure. Hey! I know just the place. Saw it while I was looking for huntsmen earlier." Qrow got up, before wobbling and sitting back down. Perhaps drinking before and after breakfast wasn't the _best_ idea.

"Are you sure?" Blake looked over a map that Qrow had pointed at, poking the location on its surface. "This is pretty deep into the low town."

"True, but it has the best noodles in town. I mean, nothing beats A Simple Wok, but this place comes pretty close!"

"I dunno…"

"Hey, don't worry!" Yang leaned over. "We're huntresses. If anything happens, we can take it. In fact," a sly grin formed on Yang's face, "They might even serve tuna~"

Blake looked at her and sighed exasperatedly. "Alright…"

"So there we go! Dinner in the low town. You okay with that, Rubes?"

Ruby blinked. She had been separated from her team so long that she forgot she was the leader, so the idea of saying something hadn't even crossed her mind.

"Oh, uh… Sounds good!" She nodded when Yang looked concerned.

"You okay Ruby?"

"Oh, I'm fine! I'm fine! It's…" The room was silent now, everyone appraising her anew. There was something different about her; she was quieter than she had been at Beacon, quieter that she had been after Beacon! She seemed preoccupied, worryingly so.

"Ruby?" Weiss looked at her earnestly, worried about her partner.

"It's just…" Ruby slumped, letting out a sigh. "We're all back together again. Team RWBY, Team JNR, Uncle Qrow – even Ozpin! But…" She looked at her feet. "But I can't help but remember that some of us aren't here."

"Oh Ruby…" Jaune leaned forward. "That isn't your fault."

"Sorry Jaune, but it kind of _is_. When we lost Penny, I caught Mercury walking around and realised she was in danger. If I had been faster, I could have saved her!"

"Ruby, you couldn't-"

"And then, with Pyrrha, I knew she was in danger. _You_ warned us! If I had been faster, I could have saved her too! I watched her die!"

"Ruby, you can't-"

"Even Torchwick!" The outburst silenced the room. "Roman was our enemy, but I could have – I _should_ have – warned him! I could see the Nevermore. I could have saved him! But now they're all dead, and we're all that's left!" Ruby finished, breathing deeply. Tears teased at her eyes.

"Ruby…" It was Qrow talking now, walking over to her. "I know what it's like to blame yourself. Especially when people you care about get hurt."

Yang hugged her from the side, but the robotic arm was uncomfortably cold against Ruby's chest.

She bore it.

"But look where I am now – where we all are now. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for you, so look at the positives, okay? And well, wishing you could have saved Torchwick says more _good_ about you than anything else. It's not your fault, understand?"

Ruby sniffed, looking down. Silence reigned for a second.

"You know…" Ruby sniffed, looking up. "It's kinda weird…"

Everyone looked at each other. Jaune took the bait.

"What is?"

Ruby smiled sadly. "The universe seems to _hate_ redheads."

Nora gasped suddenly, leaping up and grabbing Ren by the shoulders. "Ren! Ruby and me are in danger!"

"Yes Nora…"

"It's 'Ruby and I'."

"Shush, Ice Queen."

"Hey!"

Nora shook Ren. "You need to make us armour!"

"Yes, Nora…"

"Out of pancakes!"

"Yes Nora…"

As Nora led Ren out of the room, Yang took Ruby's hand.

"We should go plan the route! Come, Ruby, Weiss! Planning awaits!"

"What?"

"Huh?"

"Wait, what about me?"

"You too, Blake! Let's go!"

Yang dragged Ruby away, who, despite her protests, had a smile on her face.

/-/

Roman took a drag from his cigarette as he walked down the street aimlessly. Almost a week, and no leads still! And, to top it off, Cinder's little gang had attacked Haven the night before; the city was on lockdown for at least a month.

Roman had a bad feeling about this.

Still, his body demanded he find a place to eat; the food at the inn had been lacklustre the past few days, and the stress of looking for Neo made him hungry.

He looked calmly back and forth before pulling up his hood and mixing with the crowd. It would not do to be noticed so early after all. With what Cinder had done? He would get 100 years at _least_. He wasn't going to risk it.

Even so, he perked when he saw a shop nearby, still open. The paint of the store's name and logo were long faded, and probably out of date anyway. The restaurant appeared to sell noodles; that would probably do it for him. Nothing could compare to A Simple Wok, though. He smiled as he remembered Neo's nickname for him after they had gone there together, early on into his career.

_Ha. 'Ramen' Torchwick._

His train of thought was interrupted, however, when the door to the place opened, releasing a crowd of teenagers. They were strikingly colourful, drawing attention from across the street.

Roman's eyes widened as he saw them, ducking into an alley. Surely that wasn't them. Why would they be in Mistral? No, of course they would be in Mistral, fighting Cinder. It was what they did.

He heard their voices coming closer, entering the alley after him. Had they seen him? No, they would be quieter than that otherwise. All he had to do was keep his head down and-

"Oof!"

Roman fell back as somebody walked into him, his hood falling back.

"Oh gods, I'm sorry! Are you okay- huh?"

The girl who had walked into him stopped, eyes widening in confusion and alarm. Roman looked up at them cautiously.

Ruby Rose stared back at him, and she looked _stunning._

"Torchwick?"

"Uh…"

The girls surrounding her pulled her back a little, readying their weapons eagerly.

"So…" He chuckled nervously, eyes flitting across them. "How have _you_ ladies been doing?"

They growled menacingly.

"'Cause I've been doing… fine?"

The blonde one flew forwards, planting her fist into his skull.

_Gods damnit._

* * *

**Still not telling you what semblance it is! Wait till next week to see.**

**Yes, I did use my own characters for that one. They will star in another story I have yet to publish or write, and I have had to change a few things about them for this AU-ish situation, but they won't appear very much at all, so just think of them as 'criminal friends of Roman who are from Atlas' and leave it at that. Also, Crimson's 'strange accent' sounds Scottish. Just so ya know.**

**I don't want to look at the story from other people's viewpoints too often, as Roman is the protagonist here, but Ruby's scene was necessary setup. This might happen a few other times with other characters as well, just to give a decent idea of what is going down, but again. Roman is the protagonist here.**

**So yeah. I fudged a lot of temporal technicalities to facilitate this meeting for Roman. He had better not screw this up.**

**Next Chapter:**

**Roman has been captured by team RWBY, and he needs to convince them of his innocence/trustworthiness if he wants to see Neo again!**

**What will RWBY do with Roman? What is Roman's semblance? Where is Neo hiding?**

**And where is that god damn hat?**

**Find out next time. Adios!**


	4. Reunion

**Hey guys! Sorry this chapter is a few days late, but I came down with something and couldn't write for a few days because of it. The next chapter should be coming out at normal time if I can help it.**

**I wanted to address Karvost's comment on Ruby's behaviour: her outburst in the previous chapter doesn't negate her earlier conversation with Oscar. She isn't scared here, or reluctant to carry on - she is mournful, and blames herself for the deaths of others. It seems to me the natural head point of her emotional arc - I mean, two of her closest friends and her old nemesis died in one night, and her entire life was upturned. RT handled it by making her instantly get over all of it. I want to keep with the character from the show, but also make her act naturally, which seems to negate her entire handling by the writers of the show. However, that's just my opinion. I know that the outburst would never happen in RWBY proper, but I think it _should_ have.**

**Also, I _am_ learning right now. This chapter was the hardest to write yet, with all the different characters - I'm not entirely sure about their characterisations yet. Please, bear with me for a while.**

**And yes, ecoolasice, Sun and Ilia will show up briefly, but the story is about Roman and Ruby (also: no spoilers, but this is _adventure_, not _slice of life_.)**

**Cue scene.**

* * *

**To Steal from the Cookie Jar**

**A Rosewick Story**

**Chapter 3 - Reunion**

/-/

Roman's eyes opened blearily.

_Did somebody get the number of the taxi that hit me?_

They went wide at the sight before him. Ruby's blonde teammate sat opposite him on a wooden chair, her glowing red eyes making her look even more like her mother than she already did. He was fairly certain she had been Ruby's sibling or something. Behind her, leaning against the wall, Blake Belladonna stared him down with some cold appraisal that was somehow _worse_ than Blondie's stare. The Schnee ('Miss Weiss', if his memory served) sat on a couch to his left. 6 others stood or sat around the room haphazardly, one of whom was clearly the monkey kid from earlier. Last but not least was Ruby Rose, stood behind Blondie with one hand on the back of the chair.

Her outfit was new – the long-sleeved dress had been replaced with a black skirt and an over-bust corset held in place with a red strip. She also was wearing what appeared to be a white, high neck décolletage blouse (though he couldn't be sure, his fashion skills had gotten rusty since Beacon) with black studded wristbands, creating an 'boob window' that, by virtue of being so close to her skin colour, seemed even more attractive – something you would never notice unless you were actively leering. Leather straps curled around her back, partially obscured by her red cape, which carried the metal emblem that her belt now lacked. Was it backwards? Her full black stockings were replaced with scratched up thigh-highs, showing alluring patches of skin that, had he no shame, he could stare at for hours.

It was at this point that he realised he _may_ have been staring. He made a show of staring at everybody else until Blondie seemed satisfied that he hadn't been leering at her sister. Only then did he look back at Blondie, giving her his full attention.

"Glad to see you're awake."

"Glad to _be_ awake, kid." He tested the itchy rope that bound his hands behind his back uncomfortably. "Say, do you always tie up guys the first day you bring them home? Cause, gotta say, _very_ antisocial."

Blondie fumed silently. Good. "Can it, Torchwick. What was Cinder planning?"

Roman laughed loudly. "What makes you think _I_ know? Even if I was working her, she wouldn't tell me anything I didn't need to know. She isn't an idiot."

"Do you expect us to believe that you aren't working with her?"

"Yes."

"Wha- Why!?"

"Because… drum roll please…" There was a dramatic pause. "It's the truth! If she even _suspected_ I was still alive right now, I'm dead. I'd rather she never realises I survived – working for her would have been the worst mistake of my career if I'd had the choice."

"Everyone has a choice." A strange boy who couldn't have been more than 14 stood, speaking in a voice far too old. He'd heard that kind of voice before on the streets, but never before had he head one like it that carried such wisdom. "It if fundamental to humanity. Choice is a part of who we are."

Roman stared at him in confusion. "What… Oh! You mean that old fairy-tale? You telling me Cinder _wasn't_ completely insane? Now that's a laugh. Let me tell you, I had no choice; I tried every option!" He glared across the room at the boy, who's eyebrows were raised inquisitively. "Just cause you guys are so high and mighty right now, don't let your win fool you. She destroyed Beacon! Think what she would have done to me. I had a test run, you know. Some guy, owned a book shop, 'Tukson' I think." Blake's eyes widened, but he continued on. "Cinder wanted him gone, but I wanted to see if he could escape; really, if I could escape. So I pretended to be too busy to deal with it, warned him under the radar. Just when I think he's gonna manage it, guess who shows up but Cinder's tag-alongs, declaring the guy dead by their hands. Thant's when I figured I was doomed. I did my best, but in the end, I 'died' anyway. So yeah, Blondie," he turned back to her, "I ain't with Cinder anymore. And if that Taurus dipshit knows what's good for him, he'll turn tail too. What're you gonna do now? Kill me? Cause I think little Red here would have an issue with that."

A few seconds of silence followed as the kids absorbed his words, until the brown-haired girl with the ponytail spoke up.

"If you aren't working with Cinder, why are you here in Mistral at the same time as her? Because from what Blake told me, you don't seem the type to take risks."

"Coincidence, kid. If I'd known that Cinder was in town, I would never have come here. Sadly, I don't have a Cinder-detector on me, so I wouldn't have known. Who are you, anyway?" The kid shied away from his eyes. "I swear I know you."

"We've never met before."

"Yeah.. but… Aha!" He grinned menacingly, and all of them but Blondie seemed to lean away from him. "You were one of Taurus's old guards! He showed me a picture once, trying to intimidate me. Didn't work. You know, if you've ditched the idiot, you could work for me! I'm an equal opportunities employer."

"I'd never work for a hu- man like you. What you mean, equal opportunities? The guys who came back told me you were a racist."

"Oh honey…" pretending to not notice her slip, he purred, "I call everyone who fail me animals. It was nothing to do with their species."

"Like that's true!" Blake, now incensed by his behaviour, had pushed off the wall, leaning towards him angrily.

"Eh. If you want to play the race card, you can do it." As the two girls fumed, a solid punch from Blondie brought him back to her.

"Yang!" Ruby scolded.

_So that's her name._

"Yeah, Yang. Beating defenceless people is wrong. Hell, I even use a cane!"

"Shut up, Torchwick. Like you're 'defenceless'."

"Actually I kinda am. Y'know, tied up and all? Really, didn't know you were into this, Red." As he turned his attention to the girl in question, she blushed fiercely, setting off some _very_ worrying feelings in Roman's heart. However, she steadied herself, taking a deep breath.

"How did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"How did you survive, Torchwick? I watched you get eaten _whole_. I didn't think it was possible to survive that; I need to know."

As Yang looked over to Ruby with a worried expression, it occurred to Roman that he would normally crack some joke at the girl's expense. But something about her expression, her confusion, her pain, as well as his own feelings about the event, he decided not to.

"Ah… well that's quite the story, kid." At any other point, Ruby's confusion would have made him laugh, but his tightening gut disagreed with that idea.

"Do you know how the grimm actually kill people – when they eat them, that is? See, the grimm, though it has no soul to speak of, does need to eat to survive. Most guys who get munched on die from whatever injuries they have sustained, perhaps even the bisection from the bite. But me? I was swallowed whole, Aura intact.

Now, the body of a grimm has no way to digest people – instead, they have a kind of balloon of decomposing flesh-goo in the middle of them. The fuller the balloon is, the bigger the thing gets. So get this – here I am, still alive, _literally_ drowning in other people, when my semblance activates."

"Semblance?" Weiss looked at Roman with a confused and very nauseated look on her face. "But you don't have a…"

"Yeah. What a way to figure that mystery out, huh? Not even sure I understand what really happened, but I kinda… zoned out, if you get me. My heartbeat stopped, my blood stopped pumping and my aura began slowly running down. Next thing I know, my lungs are screaming for air and I feel _very_ well rested. As in, 'thousand year sleep' rested. I realise the thing is dead, so I cut my way out with my knife only to find that eight hours have passed. Everyone is long gone by then, so I sneak back to my old hide-out. Completely wrecked by grimm, no sign of anyone. My phone is dead, I don't remember any numbers anyway and everyone thinks I'm dead. So I decide to stay low, to avoid Cinder and what would be certain death. That was over a year ago. Since then, I've been looking for Neo."

Most of his interrogators gave him clueless looks, but Ruby nodded in understanding.

"Your henchman?"

"Hench_woman_, yes. But she was a lot more than that. She… she was like a daughter to me. Even called me dad! And right now, she thinks I'm dead. The trail has brought me here and no further, so the reason I'm _here _is so that I can find her and then run off to one of Vacuo's beach towns or something. It'll take Cinder the longest to get there; Atlas is probably next, from what little I could glean when we worked together. Will you please untie me so I can go find my daughter, Red?"

Surprisingly, his sob story wasn't working as much as he thought it would, if Ruby's face was any indication. At least she seemed to be considering his information, but he knew her type. There was no way she wouldn't let him go. Her friends, however…

"We should turn him in."

They had gathered into a circle to discuss him where they thought he wouldn't here, but his hearing was better than most humans. He raised an ear to give himself a better chance of hearing them and wasn't disappointed.

"I agree with Yang. Letting that brute loose seems like the wrong idea to me."

"I third that, I guess. I don't trust him; he could have easily been working with the Fang at Cinder's request."

Ruby seemed to look at all three of her teammates with a conflicted expression, then looked over at her little friends. The faunuses and the Ginger one agreed with them – more redheads? – but the other two kids seemed as conflicted as Ruby was.

"I dunno, guys… I mean, what if he's telling the truth? If he is, turning him in would be a literal death sentence. I don't think I could live with that." The blonde kid looked over at his black-haired friend expectantly.

"It is important to remember that this is not a vote; ultimately, the decision should be up to Professor Ozpin. I am unsure of what we should do."

All of them looked up at the boy expectantly. Wait, _he_ was Ozpin?

Holy shit. Cinder hadn't been lying. Somehow, that made him even _more_ worried.

"Miss Rose…" The boy swilled a drink in his mug like it was wine, taking a sip. "As much as I would love to choose his fate, I made you team leader for a reason. This decision shall be up to you; I trust you to do the right thing."

Everyone looked back at Ruby, who was now sweating anxiously. She looked up to the one person who was still silent, some old guy who was leaning almost drunkenly against the wall.

"Uncle Qrow?"

Suddenly Roman recognised him. Qrow Branwen. Raven's brother. Before he could consider that fully however, Qrow spoke.

"Kiddo, they're _all_ right. Understand? But at the same time, I agree with none of them. Sometimes, you gotta take a third option. You do what you think is right, Ruby."

Ruby seemed to mull over his words, eyes darting across her friends and back to him. Suddenly, they lit up with conviction. She stood up.

"Roman Torchwick!" She said triumphantly, and everyone stared at her expectantly. "I can't let you run loose across Mistral, after everything you've done, but I can't in good con- consi- cosh-"

"Conscience."

"Yeah! I can't in good conscience turn you in to the authorities, if you are telling the truth. So, instead, I will let you go, but somebody with stay with you to make sure you don't run."

Her friends began to whisper in-discreetly about who would be chaperoning him, but they were swiftly interrupted.

"I have decided that _I_ will do it."

"Hold on, Ruby!" Yang sprung forward, standing between Roman and Ruby. "It can't be you!"

"Why not? I _am_ the team leader for a reason you know." She looked over to Ozpin expectantly, who simply sighed.

"I cannot say I agree with your choice, Miss Rose, but I would be remiss to take away that which I so freely gave. I must ask, however, why you feel _you_ are the best choice."

"Yeah! Why can't I do it, huh? I'm great in places like that!"

"Because, Yang, I can't trust you not to turn him in anyway at the drop of a hat."

"Okay, one: Seriously? Two, What about Blake, huh?"

"She's a faunus – You saw how that store owner looked at her down there, Yang! If Roman is right and our enemies want him dead, we need to lay low. Same goes for Sun."

"Ilia then?"

"She's got that community service, remember? It has to be one of us."

"Qrow?"

Ruby gave Yang an exasperated look.

"Jaune, then? Or Nora. Or Ren."

"They haven't fought Torchwick before, so they don't know his tricks. He'd beat them easily."

"Ozpin?"

"And risk all of humanity for one criminal?"

"Weiss, even!"

"She's too recognisable – what if somebody tried to kidnap her like your Mom did?"

Wait, seriously? Raven was pushing some serious boundaries there, if that was true. Sheesh.

"C'mon Ruby! Why does it have to be you?"

"Yeah!" Roman piped up, looked round Yang at her. "It sounds like a hassle. Why not just, I dunno, let me go? And leave me alone?" Just the thought of being alone with Ruby gave him goose-bumps, and not in an entirely good way.

Ruby took a deep breath, ignoring him entirely. "I've fought and beaten him multiple times on my own, My weapon isn't too obvious when folded up, I am not otherwise occupied, I'm not trigger happy" – she took a moment to glare half-heartedly at both her sister and the ginger (_Nora, was it?_), who both shuffled sheepishly – "I can be trusted not to get _distracted_" – she gave a pointed look at Qrow, who rolled his eyes – "and I even own a cloak, so I can hide better! I'm just the best choice, Yang!"

"But Ruby-"

"My decision, as team leader, is final. Okay?"

"But I don't want to risk losing you!" The outburst startled the room into complete silence. Roman decided he wasn't going to touch that bag of worms.

"Just after I got you back, and now you're going off again without me, and I don't know if I can deal with it! I came here to stay with you – I can't do that if you keep running away!"

"Yang…" Ruby sighed, hugging her sister, who was tearing up. There was something so alluring about Ruby as she comforted her sister…

_No! Bad Roman! Bad!_

"Yang, I know you want to protect me, but you can't do it all the time. I'm a huntress now-"

"In training!"

"A student doesn't go around saving the world Yang!" Any anger Ruby had seemed to dissolve after looking Yang in the eyes. "This is the job I've wanted for my whole life, and I will have for the rest of my life. It's dangerous, I know, but I've _always_ known that. Sometimes, you have to take a risk, okay? I appreciate it, but I need to do this myself."

Yang sniffled, then held Ruby tighter. "Okay. I trust you, Ruby." Yang stepped back with a sad smile. "Stay safe."

"Uh-huh." Ruby smiled back earnestly.

"Hey, uh, do _I_ get any say in this?"

Yang's melancholy turned swiftly into anger as she and Ruby glared at Roman.

"No."

"Drat. I was hoping for some Yang-ction at least. Y'know, keep a poor guy company?"

"Can it, Torchwick."

"Oh you'd like that, wouldn't you, kid." He smirked cheekily. "As in, 'use your tongue for something else', eh? Didn't know Red was into that, but I'll settle."

As if he would tell her his true feelings. He would definitely be happy to 'settle'.

Yang growled and started towards him, fist raised. Ruby's eyes widened.

"Yang, no!"

As Yang stalked forwards, Roman got the feeling that this would be a long few weeks.

* * *

**Hey guys! I'm kind of rushing to get this one out, so I'm not too sure on the pacing here. If you see any typos, tell me in the reviews!**

**Poor Roman, stuck in a room with his crush for the foreseeable future. How will he survive?**

**What do you guys think of that semblance? It's obviously more versatile than that, as Roman is an unreliable narrator and he barely understands it, but still.**

**Also, wanted to address something real quick: here, Ruby is (soon to be) no longer underage. By Mistralian and Valean Law in my headcannon, the age of consent is 17. This is higher than where I live, where it's 16! That's where the exchange between Neo and Roman in Chapter 1 comes from. Which makes the relationship technically legal. Which, to Roman at least, is the best kind of legal.**

**So yeah. Ruby is soon to be legal in three quarters of the world.**

**Next Chapter:**

**Ruby is now staying with Roman for the foreseeable future.**

**Will Roman be able to restrain himself? Is Ruby truly the best for the job? What is Roman actually wearing underneath that cloak?**

**Will the hat ever be found?**

**Find out next time. Adios!**


	5. Repression

**Hey guys! An hour late, but that's better than last time, huh? Shortest chapter yet!**

**All of this week I've been distracted by playing Dark Souls III, so most of this chapter was written in the past few hours. However, I have tried my best to keep to the standard I've had recently, so I did as best as I could.**

**I'm going out canvassing with my dad later (political stuff, pretty boring) so I have this small window to get stuff done before I go. Y'know, writing this chapter was really difficult as it's the last chapter before the plot really kicks in. In other words, it's the last chapter before they have something interesting to talk about.**

**Hence, this chapter is kind of ramble-y, and I was making it up as I go along. My only prayer is I haven't mangled the dialogue too badly. Still! last V4/5-esque chapter over and done with!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**To Steal from the Cookie Jar**

**A Rosewick Story**

**Chapter 4 - Repression**

/-/

Getting through the inn had been easier than expected.

After escaping Yang's constant attempts at murder, Ruby had wrapped herself in her cloak to be 'less conspicuous', the tattered ends revealing a little of her legs and not much more. With the hood up, nobody had questioned when he told the innkeeper that she would be staying with him, though the man's comment about 'keeping the noise down' was not appreciated.

After they had entered his room, he had gone into the bathroom to call Crimson while she set up a sleeping bag and changed. Crimson, having known about his crush, had found the situation more hilarious than the time Adam Taurus had tripped and ended up doing a headstand with his horns embedded into the floor. Which is to say, several minutes of laboured laughter. After an exchange of information and a farewell, Ruby knocked on the door to announce that she was decent. Roman opened the door and stepped out.

The room was mostly brown in colour tone – brown ceiling, brown wallpaper, brown carpet, brown bedsheets – which made the red sleeping bag in the middle of the floor all the more jarring. The thing, previously concealed by Ruby's cloak, was covered in a strangely familiar dog print on a smiling corgi. Its lining, however, was jet black, giving the thing a contrast that matched its owner quite well.

Ruby herself was wearing a pair of puffy red pyjama bottoms with a black t-shirt, which revealed her tight stomach whenever she stretched. Roman carefully looked away, trying his best to ignore how the way it hugged her slight curves made his heart beat a little faster. She was carefully folding up her clothes, her t-shirt and movements revealing the musculature that her ordinary outfit hid – her arms, much like the rest of her, were visibly stronger than you'd expect, likely a result of wielding her huge scythe.

Roman suddenly imagined her wearing tight gym clothes and flushed mildly, pulling up his hood.

"Who was that?" she bent over her work, oblivious to how her athletic frame was making him feel.

"Huh?"

"The person you were calling."

"Oh." He considered not telling her but found it would be pointless. "An old friend of mine. He's helping me find Neo."

"So he's here in Mistral?"

"Nah, he's up in Atlas."

"Oh, okay- wait. I thought the CCT connections to Atlas were down."

"Yes, but Crimson has his own tricks for communicating _outside _of the CCT." Roman pulled down his hood, sitting on the bed. "He's a spy of sorts – 'using the CCT invites detection' or so he says. Y'know what I think, Red? I think he just likes feeling clever."

"Well, he is kind of right. I mean, look what happened at Beacon! Oh, wait, this guy doesn't work for Cinder, does he?"

"If he did, then I wouldn't bother talking to him. He actually tried to convince me to run, y'know. Probably should have listened, to be honest, but what can ya do?"

Ruby nodded, setting her scythe against the wall. How she managed to fit that huge weapon into such a small shape would forever escape him.

She turned back to him. "You gonna sleep in that, or…?"

Oh right. He sighed, lifting his robe over his head and shrugging it off. She froze for a second, but relaxed when she saw he was wearing clothes underneath.

He still had the same clothes he had been wearing at the Fall of Beacon, minus his hat, coat and scarf. The trousers had been replaced, but the coat had been one of a kind, and irreparably stained with other-people-juice. The bright red suspenders and thin black crew-neck jumper, however, had been protected by his coat from the horrific sludge, and he still wore them proudly. All in all, he looked like a black silhouette with two red vertical stripes on the chest and a mop of ginger hair.

He removed his black boots, tossing them to the floor, and clambered onto his bed.

"So…" he lay back, hands behind his head, "I guess this is where we say goodnight?"

"Mhmm." Ruby slid into her sleeping bag, shifting and twisting to fit into it. They stayed there in silence for a few minutes, neither bothered to get up and turn out the light.

"Roman?"

"First name basis already?" Roman chuckled, then sighed. "What do ya want, Red?"

"Why did you work for Cinder?"

"I already told you, didn't I? She was going to kill me. Pretty good reason to obey, in my opinion."

"No, I get that, just… what did they offer you as a reward? Money? Dust? What was worth it to you?"

"Oh well…" he shifted awkwardly, looking anywhere but at her. "Freedom, in a way."

"Freedom? But you were free."

"No, Red, as in, 'escape from your problems' kind of freedom. They said they were gonna take over or something and pardon me and Neo."

"You wanted to be pardoned?" Ruby looked at him in confusion. "Why? You were the best criminals in Vale!"

"We didn't exactly choose this life, Red, we're just good at it. We both got stuck like this by our lot in life. I did what I could, but the world abandoned me. The idea was, 'new world, new me'! Or something like that." He turned away from her with a huff. "I guess they lied about that, huh."

"So what now, then? After you've found Neo, that is."

He turned back to face her, confused. "I told you that already. Head off to some Vacuan beach and escape Cinder for another decade or two. Best idea I've had in years. What's it to you, kid?"

"Nothing really, just… isn't that the same as what you wanted? To escape 'this life' and enjoy yourself?"

"Not really. I don't want to live my life as 'Rhubarb Matchstick the Icecream Man from Vacuo'. I wanted to be 'Roman Torchwick, the free man'. Guess I don't get a choice anymore, though."

Ruby sat there in silence for a few seconds. "I hope you figure it out, Roman."

Roman chucked, turning over and switching out the light. "Me too, Ruby. Me too."

/-/

Roman started out of bed, a silent scream on his lips. He stifled any noise, suddenly aware of the darkness of the room. His cold sweat was exacerbated by the small draft coming from the faulty window, and the silence in the room highlighted his sharp, heavy breaths.

A small beam of light from the curtains illuminated the interior of the room, painting the browns of the room as heady blacks, swallowing the light. The chair, though empty, looked as though a silhouette sat in it, making his mind wrack with mild terror.

He tried to steady his breathing. It was just a dream. Cinder hadn't found him, she hadn't eviscerated Neo _and_ Ruby before his eyes, she hadn't burnt him alive. It had been all a dream.

Well, dream or not, he wasn't going back to sleep. He stumbled quietly out of bed, walked into the bathroom and turned on the light.

His eyes were bloodshot, his hair a mess – he hadn't had a night of uninterrupted sleep in ages, so it was to be expected. His Aura would take care of most of it. He splashed water onto his own face, trying to forget his terrible nightmare. Why on earth had he been so scared for _Ruby_? Neo he could understand, but did he really care for Ruby that much already?

The answer was obvious. Yes. Over the past evening, he had felt increasingly worried for her, and her body was doing her _many_ favours in the 'Roman likes you' department (not that she knew that, but still). There was something about her smile, her voice, that had wormed its way into his heart in so few hours, and now refused to let go.

_Well it'll have to._ He would be leaving as soon as he found Neo. There was no way he would join them on their fruitless quest against Cinder and her mythical boss – that was suicide. Even if they somehow fell deeply in love for each other, he would have to leave her behind. Best to spare himself the heartache.

He had a drink and waddled out of the bathroom, switching of the light. He climbed back into bed, and considered getting out a book, when the sound of soft breathing distracted him.

Ruby had her arms splayed, her head to the side and her hair flying in all directions as she lay peacefully in her sleeping bag. Her soft breaths periodically blew a hair away from her face, only for it to fall back down onto it again. A thin line of drool ran from the side of her mouth, her happy expression caught by the beam of moonlight traversing her gleaming skin. Roman had the sudden urge to climb into the sleeping bag and hug her, an urge that he quickly repressed.

Roman chuckled quietly, leaning back onto his bed. If he had the hots for Ruby, he might as well enjoy it while it lasted.

Maybe he would have a good night's sleep tonight after all.

/-/

Roman stopped in the street to observe the bustle of the people around him.

They had walked around the low-town aimlessly, taking unnecessary routes through shady alleyways, stalking through abandoned shops and scanning crowds. Like they were doing now.

"So, is this how you spend your days, then? Walking aimlessly in search of Neo? Cause that doesn't seem super effective."

"Red, if you figure something better out, you tell me. But before you ask, I can't use info brokers or anything like that because they'd recognise me. Staying inconspicuous, remember? Just watch the crowd or something."

And so they did, staring in silence at the movement of the crowd around him. Ruby was slightly more noticeable than him, with her bright red cloak, but nobody cared enough to question her. Roman noticed how the many feet wore consistent patterns in the cobbles, how some would follow the marks of the Spiders on the old brick and stone walls, how the glowing screen in the middle of the shady square showed a depiction of his old master as she had been before Beacon; Ruby had told him of how she had been scarred and crippled by the fight there, but had failed to go far into the specifics. All she had been definitive about was that she was apparently dead, and that suited Roman fine. One less vengeful face in the world. The revelation that Cinder had her own boss who was even _worse_, however, was quite disconcerting.

It was in this daze of thoughtfulness that he caught sight of somebody moving slowly and discreetly through the crowd. She clearly had no experience in the latter skill, as her 'discreetness' made her even more obvious to him. She seemed to notice them and move closer. Or notice Ruby…? He looked closer, searching for a glimpse behind the hood.

He got that glimpse, and it was all he needed. Soot black hair, ember-gold eyes and a vengeful glare, directed at his woefully oblivious companion.

Cinder Fall was still alive.

Cinder Fall had noticed Ruby.

Cinder Fall was _pissed._

"Red, we need to go. NOW."

"Huh?" she looked back as he grabbed her hand and seemed to get what he was saying. "Oh. OH. Okay!"

He directed them through a few back-alleys, hoping that the strange route would put Cinder off. They ran as fast as they could, ignoring the looks they got from some of the other people they came across. He stopped a while later, catching his breath.

"Kid… Scroll…"

"Right!" She pulled out her scroll, tapping on it quickly. He hoped she was calling her friends, or something. He looked down at his feet, detaching his cane from where he had hidden it in his robe.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here!"

_Oh no._

He drew himself to his full height, suddenly aware of two glaring eyes focused on his charge.

"Ruby Rose. How lovely to see you! I thought I might never get a chance to kill you."

She reached out and a flaming glass sword appeared in her hand, pointed at Ruby. Ruby reached back for her scythe, and Roman readied Melodic Cudgel.

Cinder Fall flew forward.

Roman did the same.

* * *

**Ooh, plot twist!**

**This was planned from day 2, by the way, so to finally write this is so great! Let's hope I can write fight scenes half as decent as my dialogue.**

**Yeah, Crimson showed up again. Please ignore him. Not important yet, I'm afraid. This was just needed to justify a conflict I made in chapter 2.**

**No comments/reviews to reply to this time, I'm afraid. Such is the way of the inconsistent writer. At least I didn't take two years to start uploading again or anything.**

**So yeah. Cinder's back, baby.**

**Next Chapter:**

**Cinder wants to kill Ruby. Roman wants to protecc Ruby. Time for a smackdown!**

**Who will win? Will Ruby survive? Can Roman ever find Neo?**

**Will Roman ever get his hat back!**

**Find out next time. Adios!**


	6. Renunciation

**Hey guys! Several hours late but still _technically_ Thursday! By 30-ish seconds, I suppose, but still!**

**This chapter was super hard to write, because I don't have a lot of experience with writing fight scenes. I was so worried that I put off writing until _after_ my initial deadline. However, RWBY is _all about_ the fighting, so the show must go on! Pray for me.**

**Not sure about Cinder in this one - but, of course, not sure about Cinder in RWBY proper either, so what can ya do?**

**I did more research for this chapter than any other barring the first - mostly on the Maidens power set. They are _super_ vague.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**To Steal from the Cookie Jar**

**A Rosewick Story**

**Chapter 5 - Renunciation**

/-/

Roman's cane clashed against Cinder's swords with a crash. They swung a few more times, each finding their match, before Cinder held his cane in place and stared under the hood.

Her expression changed quickly – first showing confusion, then anger, then a chilling calm that sent shivers down Roman's spine.

"Roman? I thought you were dead."

Roman sighed. "I know. That was kinda intentional, Cinder."

"I see. You know what the price for betraying me is, right?"

"Not really. Death?"

"Mhmm."

"Right." Roman pushed off her swords, leaping back next to Ruby and raising his cane. "I guess I'll just have to give you no chance to kill me, then."

Cinder sighed back at him, shaking her head as her hood fell down, revealing her scarred face. "You always _had_ to be difficult, didn't you?"

Roman grinned. "I suppose it's in my nature."

He fired Melodic Cudgel.

Cinder dodged it and leapt forward.

The fight was on.

After a few more dodged shots, his cane clashed with her swords once more, blocking each swing. He heard some louder shots to his left and knew that Ruby had fired her weapon in at Cinder. He saw a bullet hit.

Cinder sent a blast of elemental flame in response. Ruby flew out of the way gracefully, bringing her scythe around to bear. As she clashed with Cinder, Roman reloaded his cane.

A swift block sent Ruby's scythe rebounding into him. He blocked it himself, thrusting forwards with his cane. Cinder blocked that too and a strong gust of air knocked them back.

Cinder was floating now, surrounded by strange glowing streams of energy as another shimmered from her eye. She sent a fireball down. Ruby jumped into its path and sent it flying into a nearby building, curling against the stone harmlessly.

Roman was suddenly aware of his own flammability.

Cinder reached out with a hand, and Roman saw a yellow glow in the corner of his eye. He grabbed Ruby and dodged, watching the ground that had beneath them explode. His hood fell down as he dodged again, ice spires taking their places.

"Impressive, Roman. You always did have good survival instincts. What a shame you've forgotten them."

"I'm still here, aren't I?"

Cinder growled in annoyance, suddenly thrusting forwards with her sword. He deflected it and saw the focus in her eyes; she had completely forgotten the frantically reloading Ruby, who probably hadn't expected a fight when she went out. Oh well.

Cinder's attention was drawn away by Ruby's first shots, spinning around to clash sword and scythe. Ruby span gracefully with her weapon, pirouetting like a ballerina, metal and glass glancing off each other. Cinder kicked forward but Ruby caught her foot and sent her sprawling. Roman brought his cane down, but she brought up her sword, and suddenly Roman and Ruby were sent flying by twin explosions. They landed further down the alley and as they picked themselves up, Cinder readied her swords.

/-/

Blake leapt the gap between two rooftops, vaguely aware of her road-bound friends running below her. The team, sans Ruby, had been hanging out when the text had come.

Ozpin and Qrow had been busy at the school and Sun and JNR had been 'hanging out with' (bugging) Ilia while she did her community service, so the only ones available had rushed out the door to save Ruby from… something.

The text had specified _something_ about Cinder, but Yang was certain she was dead. Nevertheless, Ruby always had a way of injecting her emotions into her texts, and it had spooked Yang enough to have her ready and raring to go, furious at herself for having let Ruby go down there.

Blake searched the skyline for the square they had last reported in at and sent a signal to Weiss. Her friends swiftly changed course, sprinting down side-streets to get there fastest, praying for Ruby's safety. When Blake came to the next roof, however, she was puzzled to find Yang searching the skyline.

"Yang? What are you doing up here?"

"You were too slow."

Blake nodded, scouring the skyline herself. "You really should be down there with them."

Yang sighed, slumping. Blake put a hand on her back.

"You know, this isn't your fault-"

"Well it kinda feels like it!" Yang spun to look at her, and her eyes were red. "I should have come down here, not her! _ I_ should be here, watching Torchwick. And now she's in danger. That seems very straightforward to me!"

"Well it isn't, Yang!" Blake stared her down and she seemed to wilt under her gaze. "You can't know that this is your fault. It might have happened without all this. You know that!"

Yang shook for a few seconds before reaching forwards. Blake accepted the hug, but pushed her away when she saw the square.

"Yang, you should go down there with Weiss. You're no good on rooftops." As if to prove her point, Yang slipped a bit on the tiles at that very moment. "We're almost there. Show Weiss where to go."

Once Yang was safely down and Weiss was on the move again, Blake was about to jump when she looked around, a shiver running down her spine. There was nobody there, but her Faunus instincts were frantically shouting at the rest of her mind to run. Blake shook her head, taking one last look at the rooftop before she jumped on to the next one.

/-/

Ruby cried out in surprise and pain as a reflected bullet slammed into her aura, followed by a huge fireball that threw her into a wall. She tried to get up, but was too weak – her aura broke, and Roman threw himself at Cinder.

He had fared better; he still had a third of his aura, and he fought through his aches like they were nothing, performing the odd backflip when necessary. However, as Cinder squared off against him, he got the feeling that the remaining third wouldn't last long.

Before either of them could move, however, Cinder was thrown back by a flash of black hair that yelled as its blade flew after her on its long ribbon. As the ribbon swung back, Roman got a better look at her.

Blake Belladonna stood where Cinder had but moments before, her raven hair and vibrant white coat flowing in the light breeze. She caught her weapon as it came back to her, eyeing Roman warily.

Cinder began struggling up as the rest of team RWBY arrived; the heiress and the brawler noticed Ruby immediately, Weiss running up to her as Yang stood by Blake. Roman lined up with them, all of them breathing deeply.

" How nice of you to get here so quickly. You're just in time – oh WAIT." He looked pointedly at Ruby's prone body before looking back at the two.

Yang growled at him.

"Y'know, I seem to recall your merry band always arriving _after _little Red had already crashed my plans in the nick of time. I suppose she's the only member of your team with any sense of punctuality."

Yang growled again and took a step towards him, fist raised. Roman grinned, leaning forwards.

"Roman, Yang, stop!"

They both stopped in surprise and looked over to Weiss and Ruby, ignoring Blake's admittedly apt whip-cracking noise. Ruby struggled to get up, supported by Weiss. She limped towards them, breathing shallow and fast, and stood tall – that is to say, as tall as she could be at 5ft 2. Actually scratch that – she seemed to have grown at least an inch since Beacon, and even then she was a surprisingly imposing presence. She sent a charming smile Roman's way and giggled.

"Sorry. She hears 'punctual' and gets to the third letter."

Roman stared back, surprised, and Ruby giggled again. She suddenly turned back to her team with a serious cough.

"Team RWBY! Ready for orders?" She seemed a little uncertain in her role as leader, and most would have ignored such a squeaky voice, but her team stood ready for her words, giving nods of affirmation.

"Help Roman catch Cinder. ALIVE. Right? Nobody else dies, not even her."

"But Ruby…" Yang smirked encouragingly at her sister. "Don't you want to help her like you're helping Roman?"

"That's different and you know it. RWBY, roll out!"

"Roll out?"

"I'm working on it."

The others gave her more nods and cheers, and Roman found himself nodding as well, surprised at her firmness. This had to be why she was made team leader. She certainly seemed capable.

Suddenly everyone was flying through the air.

They landed heavily in the central square – Blake landed on her feet, but the others went sprawling, Yang putting a dent in a building. Ruby luckily landed on Weiss, quickly crawling off and stepping aside. Cinder floated in front of them, suspended once more in her whirlwind.

"How nice of you to let me recover. Such a shame that your sentimentality gets in the way, huh? Also such a shame to see you shacking up with them, Roman. Such a waste of potential."

She flew towards them, bolts of lightning connecting with anything they could reach. Yang ran forward, sending bullets her way. She reared back with a fist. Cinder caught it with her blade, swinging it around and knocking her back, only to end up locked up against Blake's sword.

The blades glanced off each other repeatedly as both swung their swords, the metallic crash of Blake's blade muted by the glassy glint of Cinder's. Blake leapt back suddenly, only for Cinder to thrust forward. Blake caught Cinder's blade in her sheath, but Cinder formed a new one and jabbed her, sending her back.

Cinder noticed Yang running forwards and sent a strong blast of angry fire her way, knocking her back. Cinder grinned wryly, only to wince as she felt Blake's sharp blade run across her aura.

Roman ran over to Weiss and Ruby, breathing heavily.

"You, go."

"But I-"

"You have more aura than me, Schnee. Get over there and help the others. She'll be fine."

Weiss looked torn, but another pained cry from the fight sent her running over there. Roman knelt next to Ruby, one eye on the fight.

"You alright, kid?"

Ruby looked at him, kind of dazed and tired. "You know, I don't usually have no aura."

"Mhmm."

"I didn't realize how much this was supposed to hurt."

"Mhmm."

"I don't like not having aura."

"Neither do I, Red. But life is tough like that."

"Yeah. I guess this might happen more often now-"

"Yep."

"I hope it doesn't get too bad."

Roman couldn't help but give a hearty laugh as Ruby looked down at her own hands in aura-drunk confusion.

"Good luck with that, Red."

Cinder span on one foot to deflect Blake and Weiss's blows, following with a blast of fire to push them back. She ducked under Yang's fist, thrusting her blade up into the girl's ribcage. She flew back against the wall, limp and unmoving.

Blake leapt forward and jabbed at her with her blade, glancing off Cinder's weapon and slicing into the air. Cinder slammed her hand down, knocking the girl to the floor, her broken aura twitching as she was kicked into a wall.

With a final swing of her glass sword, Weiss's parry failed, sending her sprawling, unconscious. Blake tried to get up, but collapsed weakly. Cinder smiled when she saw her quarry sitting up with Roman kneeling beside her. A perfect opportunity to kill them both.

She raised her hand, eldritch flame flying forth.

Roman saw her stepping forward, his eyes widening.

He stood up in front of Ruby, hoping she would survive.

He closed his eyes, felt the heat coming closer…

…and staying there.

He opened one eye to see a small figure standing in front of him, blocking the fire with her weapon.

She was shrouded in shadow from the light of the flame, but he knew that umbrella anywhere.

Neo stood before him, umbrella-sword twirling as the fire glanced off. He smiled.

Cinder stopped the onslaught, staring at Neo thoughtfully. Neo looked back at him, then at Ruby, then gave him an incredulous look.

He shrugged back apologetically.

Neo leapt into the fray.

Cinder swung her blades as Neo, but she flipped out of the way, bringing her umbrella out of the way to block the ones that hit closer. Suddenly, she ducked and span, sweeping Cinder off her feet. She rolled out of the way of Neo's stabs, sending the errant fireball her way. Cinder jumped to her feet when she saw an opening, summoning ice shards to fire upon Neo.

Neo did tricks as she flipped and spun to dodge the floating shards, blocking with her umbrella, until she came to sit upon a ledge, smiling insolently. Cinder growled, sending a bolt of lightning her way. She leapt out of the way.

Neo suddenly stood beside her, jabbing and twisting with her sharp tipped umbrella. She detached the blade from its sheath, holding both at the ready. She clubbed the umbrella-sheath over Cinder's head, jabbing with the sword, and backflipped to dodge an attack.

Roman looked on to see her aura shimmer as it broke, smiling as Neo grinned predatorially. She flew forward, only to be stopped by a bolt of lightning.

Cinder stood warily, suddenly aware of her surroundings. He aura down, she was far more aware of the crowd that had formed, watching them at a distance. She looked up and her eyes widened when she saw the familiar crow flying closer.

In desperation, she sent a fireball towards Roman and Ruby. Neo leapt in front of it, but the flame kept coming, risking setting the umbrella on fire. She used her semblance.

Roman saw it. The moment that the desperate fire curled and changed, feeding into Neo as she performed her trick. Neo realised what it was doing, eyes widening a fraction of a second too late.

The three of them disappeared from the world, and the fire stopped.

/-/

An unnamed, seldom travelled forest between Vale and Mistral sat in silence. Usually, birds would call and animals would creak and shuffle their ways around the canopies and grasses – maybe even the odd grimm would cry out in unending, ignorant, baseless fury. Today, however, was just one of the few days that the forest was silent. Maybe there was some noise somewhere, but it would be impossible to hear it up in the clouds. Up there, there was nought but silence.

Someone screamed.

Roman span in the thin air like a puppet with its strings cut, flailing uselessly as his limbs sought impossible purchase. He looked around fearfully, and saw Neo and Ruby falling next to him, limp and unconscious.

He grabbed them both and looked down, hand gripping his cane desperately as he saw the ground speeding towards him. Aware suddenly of his own mortality, he looked around for some salvation and saw Neo's umbrella, hooked on her numb arm loosely. He grappled it, pointing it up and pressing the trigger.

The landing was faster than Roman would have liked, considering the umbrella held three normal passengers rather than a single tiny one, but it was better that freefall. The bodies fell from his arms immediately, suddenly heavy as they rolled away. He collapsed, lying against the cool grass as he felt exhaustion take him – the landing must have cost him the last of his aura. As his vision blurred, he noticed something to his right – a strange black something sitting on Neo's head. He grabbed it numbly and was vaguely aware that it was his hat.

With a tired sigh, he pushed the hat onto his head and let sleep take him.

* * *

**Whey! The hat!**

**Oh, and Neo too. But the hat!**

**Cinder may be vengeful, but she's a smart gal. She knew she couldn't take Qrow, and made a last ditch effort to stop Neo, Roman and Ruby. The thing her magic did to Neo's semblance was unintentional, but magic is like that.**

**Wait. Magic _isn't_ like that? Says who? Exactly.**

**So yeah. We've got the band back together! And we're very far from home...**

**Next Chapter:**

**Roman has finally found Neo and his hat. But he's stuck in the middle of nowhere now! With Ruby, No less.**

**What will they do? How will they get back? Where even are they?**

**Find out next time. ****Adios!**


	7. Reconnection

**Sorry for the hiatus! A bunch of stuff came up, and then there was my birthday on Saturday, and I was working on another project at the same time so writing was triply slowed, but we're back now!**

**I wanted to use this chapter to set up the first major arc of the story - The Travelling Arc. I also wanted to get some more of Neo into there, as some of ya'll seemed very excited to see her.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**To Steal from the Cookie Jar**

**A Rosewick Story**

**Chapter 6 - Reconnection**

/-/

Roman was vaguely aware of grass tickling the back of his head as someone shook him awake.

"Huh – bwah?"

Blinking blearily, he shook his aching head and looked up to see a pair of mis-matched eyes staring back at him.

Neo.

The events of the day came back to him as his eyes widened – Cinder, finding Neo, the forest – and leaned forward to hug her. Neo did nothing to stop him, in fact hugging him back. They clung to each other like molluscs, unable to let go in irrational fear that the other would disappear again.

"_Ahem_."

They were shaken out of their reverie by the cough, looking to one side to see Ruby Rose standing there, arms crossed, blushing slightly.

"Damnit Red, we were having a moment there." Neo nodded in annoyed agreement as Roman stood shakily. Neo helped him up.

"Yeah, well…" She waved her arms around generally, pointing to the forest around them. "We have no idea where we are!"

"Well, I don't know why you're asking _me, _I didn't take us here."

"I asked your henchman-"

"Hench_woman_."

"Whatever, and she just shrugged!" Ruby sighed, slumping a little. It seemed whatever rant had been building up had withered and died right there and then. She looked over at Roman.

"I'm sorry for yelling, I-"

"Don't apologise to me, Red. It feels weird." Roman shuffled uncomfortably, suddenly aware of the heat. He shrugged off his grimy robe, revealing the pristine clothing underneath. Neo smiled.

"And anyway, your friend-"

"Daughter will work. Legal and everything!"

"Your _daughter, _I guess, hasn't said a word to me since she woke up."

"You realise she's mute, right?"

Ruby's mildly horrified gasp answered that. He looked over to Neo, who just shrugged. She raised her hands to sign.

"_She seems stressed."_

Roman grinned, signing back.

"_So she does. Good to see you, Neo."_

They hugged again, this time softer, yet somehow more effective. They pulled back at the same time.

"_So,"_ Neo signed, prodding his chest in mock annoyance, _"Where have __**you**__ been? I thought you were dead!"_

"_Believe me, Neo, I wanted to tell you, but by the time I found a working phone, you'd already changed the numbers. That isn't your fault, but it isn't __**mine**__ either."_

"_Excuses!" _Neo giggled. Her face then suddenly turned more serious_. "So what's up with 'little Red' over here? Or fighting Cinder? Tell me everything."_

"_Sure."_

Roman then spent a while telling her (in sign language, to keep it from Ruby) of his adventures across Remnant, all the while Ruby looked on in confusion. He told her of the great grimm he fought on his way out of Vale – and then of course the monsters he fought on his way to Mistral. He regaled her with how he met Ruby and her friends, about that night in the inn (which she laughed at), about his plan to escape, and then the fight with Cinder. She nodded along until they reached the part where she arrived, at which point she frowned.

"_And the rest is history, I guess. But where are we now? This wasn't where I tried to take us."_

"_I saw Cinder's fancy magic messing with your semblance – don't ask me how, I don't understand it either – so that's my hypothesis. Speaking of, that was quite a teleport there. You alright?"_

Neo smiled, nodding. _"I feel fine right now, if a little rough. We're lucky we didn't teleport too high off the ground." _At that, Roman burst out laughing, unable to contain himself as both girls looked on in confusion and mild worry.

"What did she say? What is it?" Ruby looked between the two of them as if he had grown a second head, while Neo's expression of mounting horror made him laugh harder.

"She said – sorry, ha – she said 'We're lucky we didn't end up too high up'. Hah! No, honey, we were in the _clouds_."

Neo's eyes widened in shock, her hands moving at top speed.

"_Seriously? How the fuck did we survive?"_

"Your umbrella, Neo. Not as good with three people compared to just the one, but it did the trick. You guys were too out of it to remember."

Neo shook her head in embarrassment, pressing her face into her palms and blushing, while Ruby stared worriedly up into the clouds, as if she would suddenly find herself up there again. She soon found her metaphorical footing, however.

"Where are we, anyway? Why did she take us here?"

Neo looked up a little, blushing even harder.

"Neo said it wasn't her intention. I saw Cinders fancy flames doing something to her when we jumped, so I would guess this was her fault – though why here, exactly, eludes me. You tried calling home, Red?"

"Yeah, but…" she waved her phone in front of him so that he could see the screen, "No signal. Not to mention that I don't know where we are, anyway."

Roman looked around at the orange trees around him, observing the shape of the leaves. He looked up into the sky and saw that it was noon, the light shining through the autumn leaves beautifully. He recognised the trees from their leaves, picking a drying leaf from the ground.

"I think we're in a forest near Mistral – these leaves are native there, so that makes the most sense. It's just confusing because none of us came through here during the autumn-"

Neo suddenly squeaked loudly, turning to Roman with wide eyes, her hands a flurry of motion.

"_I know where we are! I came through here on my way to Mistral."_

Roman relayed this to Ruby, who nodded slowly.

"So you know where the road is?"

Neo nodded.

"How far away is it?"

Neo held up two fingers.

"Two… hours?"

Neo shook her head, making a spinning circle with a hand to imitate the sun.

"Two… days?"

Neo nodded again.

"Right then. Lead the way, Neo!" Ruby shouted triumphantly, but her eyes betrayed her worry; would Neo listen to her?

Neo nodded a third time, though slowly, and with lidded eyes. _"Sure thing, __**Mom**__."_ She took a few steps before stopping and looking at Roman in realisation.

"_Wait a minute…"_

"Neo…"

She grinned mischievously. _"Didn't I say something about wanting a mom?"_

"Please, Neo… don't."

Neo looked back at Ruby, before putting on a smile and walking over, opening her arms for a hug. Ruby, though apprehensive, opened her arms, into which Neo threw herself, hugging hard. Neo pulled back, smiling earnestly.

"_Thanks, Mom!" _With that, she skippedaway, while Ruby turned to Roman.

"I need to learn sign language at some point. She is just too confusing without it."

Roman laughed as he followed, silently hoping she never came to understand what Neo was implying.

/-/

Cinder clenched her fist in annoyance as she sat in her chair – a collection of artfully stacked cardboard boxes, thinking back to her fight with Ruby.

Ruby had been just within her grasp – so close to her vengeance – but then Roman had got in the way.

Roman. The man she thought died in Vale with the other incompetents she had enlisted that day. But no, here he was, and fighting _with_ Ruby. Didn't he hate her? He had last time they had met – averting his gaze and shutting down conversation whenever she was mentioned. Why was he working _with_ her this time?

She hissed through her teeth, standing abruptly. It did not matter now why he worked for them. She knew she would never have his loyalty again. She had barely had it in the first place – what was important now was that Ruby and her 'friends' knew she had survived.

She looked around her meagre 'home' - a small alcove of a dark alley populated by cardboard boxes fashioned into makeshift furniture – and scowled. This was functional, but pathetic, especially for one such as herself.

She began to think up plans for redemption – her attack on Ruby had been impulsive and reckless, and it showed through her performance. She was better when she planned everything perfectly. This, surely, was why Salem had abandoned her – she had become too ambitious. She pulled out a water-stained notepad and scrawled mindlessly, drawing up diagrams and figures – but everything came up dry. She soon realised the cause of her predicament.

"I need an army."

Such a simple thing – at least, for her – but at this point impossible to find. The grimm were with her mistress and would not stoop to help her now, the fang where restructuring under Ghira Belladonna – not even the few criminal contacts she had left would likely lend her any men after what happened to Roman, especially with the state she was in. How very unfortunate.

She gritted her teeth as she scribbled the word out on her pad.

"I could supply one."

She jumped to her feet, flames licking her fingers before she had even reached her full height. Her furious gaze melted into that of confusion, however, when she saw who it was addressing her.

"You? Where would _you_ get an army, after your defeat?"

Adam Taurus stepped into the darkness of her home, smirking confidently.

"I have my ways."

/-/

Neo giggled silently as Roman tripped over a root, sprawling onto the floor.

Ruby stopped her walking and turned around, before rushing over.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He got up onto his hands and knees, before glaring half-heartedly at Neo. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. You weren't so amused a few seconds ago when _you_ tripped up."

"_Excuse me? I only __**stumbled**__. Gracefully."_

"Whatever." He crawled up, before glancing at the rapidly setting sun. "Hey, isn't it a little late? We should set up camp."

"Yeah, I guess. Here's as good a place as any." She jammed the stick she was carrying into the ground, and they set to making some A-frames. The leaves and twigs were easy to find in the forest, and before they knew it, they were staring at the sunset surrounded by their plant-based accommodations.

"That should do it." Roman said, leaning back from his latest creation with a tired huff.

"Nice! Now we just need sleeping bags – oh wait. Ah."

As Ruby stared at her own feet, Roman caught on – there was nothing to sleep with! He thought about it for a moment, before sighing.

"It'll be fine, kid. I'm sure we can fashion something to makeshift it. Hey, your cloak would work, right?"

"Yeah, but what about you?"

"Eh, my dumb robes should work. What about you, Neo- huh?" He looked. And then stared.

Neo stared back.

She had stolen his robes and fashioned them into a brown sleeping bag, and was now snuggled safely inside, her tiny head poking from the top in absurdist contrast. She smiled knowingly at Roman as he shook his head.

"Neo…"

"_Hey, It smells like you, and that, makes me happy!"_

"No Neo…"

"_And this will give you an excuse to sleep next to Ruby – she seems the type to be fooled by the old 'body heat' scam. Eh?"_

"Godsdamnit Neo…"

"_I ain't moving!"_

Roman sighed, turning around to the larger A-frame. In their hurry, that had only made two – which made Neo's suggestion more enticing. However, Roman stood resolutely, marching over and settling into the grass.

"Guess I'm going without."

"Are you sure, Roman-"

"I'll be fine kid. Ain't like I've never roughed it before. I've experienced worse."

Ruby nodded, but maintained her worried pout as she settled on the other side of the A-frame.

They sat like that for some time, watching the sky darken and turn black. As it was mid-autumn the temperature dropped rapidly, soon becoming uncomfortable, but Roman pushed on, clutching his sides.

A smooth breeze passed over him, and he shivered.

"Oh for- Roman, get over here."

Roman looked up to see Ruby holding her cloak open invitingly.

"But-"

"No. I'm too tired to argue with you, and you'll freeze."

Roman reluctantly crawled into her cloak before she wrapped it up again, thankful that she couldn't see his flushed face. "Isn't this a little… weird?"

"It's only weird if you make it weird, Roman."

He chuckled. "Fair point." Glancing past her head, he saw Neo's hands flailing rapidly.

"_Make it weird, make it weird, make it weird!"_

He sighed dramatically. "Neo, go to sleep and keep your weird voyeurism to yourself."

Neo blushed so strongly that he could see it in the dark, pointedly turning away. He let out a breath as he settled into Ruby's cloak, suddenly aware that she had wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Night, Red."

"Night, I guess."

She fell asleep shortly, her light breaths nowhere near as obnoxious as Neo's fidgety tossing and turning. It took a while, but Roman fell asleep eventually, with a calm smile on his face.

That night he had the best sleep of his life.

* * *

**Ah yes. The classic 'body heat' gambit. Roman didn't even need to try this time, which is good because he's too self-conscious to bother. Too scared of falling in love with his enemy. Too late for that, eh?**

**I like to write Neo as a cheeky and confident but also kinda arrogant - but in a lovable sort of way. She's also an A- wingman - not A+, because she's a bit of an asshole about it, but still! She also gets embarrassed fairly easily, which is countered by her genuine skill - nobody can get close enough to beat her well enough to make her embarrassed about it. Unluckily for her, no amount of kickflips can get her out of bad luck.**

**I just realised it's ironic that both Cinder and Neo had bad luck in that fight the moment that Qrow arrived. Not intentional, but the explanation works, soo...**

**Yeah. Guess trouble's on the horizon, huh?**

**Next Chapter:**

**Neo, Ruby and Roman are on there way back to Mistral - let's hope the journey is safe...**

**What is Cinder Planning? Where does Adam keep his armies? (SPOILER: Up his sleevies) Will Neo ever stop being a perv?**

**Find out next time. Adios!**


	8. Re-evaluation

**Sorry about the huge hiatus! A whole lot of somethings came up and got in the way, and only now am I getting back to it. School has started back up as well, which complicates things.**

**Last chapter I said 'major arc' but recently I figured out that we were on chapter 7. So... not the time for arcs. Also, less Neo this chapter, but that's okay.**

**By the way, I now have a tumblr (xaosdiscordial), and am cross posting to Ao3 (/works/20491454/chapters/48626528)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**To Steal from the Cookie Jar**

**A Rosewick Story**

**Chapter 7 – Re-evaluation**

/-/

Roman was woken by the sensation of hair rubbing against his face.

He shifted to see a mass of black and red filling his vision and realised he and Ruby must have got tangled during the night. Blushing, he extricated himself, freezing whenever she stirred and blushing even harder when he had to untangle her leg from around his.

He stumbled to his feet to see Neo staring at him whimsically.

"Not one word."

Neo nodded slyly and began to get out of her sleeping bag.

By the time Ruby awoke, Neo and Roman had already dismantled one of the A-frames.

"Hi." She said weakly, sitting up.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Red. If you could get up?" Roman said, motioning to the A-frame she was sitting under.

"Oh, right." Getting up, she adjusted her cloak, oblivious to how her pose exposed more than she may have wanted to show. Roman respectfully looked away as she brushed herself down and wandered over, helping Neo hide the camp-site while he dismantled the second A-frame. Soon, they were off, following Neo as she led the way to the nearest road.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"Huh?" Roman blinked, looking over at Ruby.

"Well, y'know… You've found Neo now, but Cinder knows you're alive. So; what are you planning to do about it?"

"And why would that be any of your business?"

"Well," Ruby said, shrinking into herself, "I was just trying to make small talk. Also, I'm sure my sister would want proof that you weren't going to do anything bad, so… Might be something to think about, y'know? I mean, I didn't want to upset-"

"Ruby."

"Y-Yeah?"

"You're rambling."

"Oh. Sorry…"

Roman sighed as he walked, staring into the foliage around him. He didn't really want to reveal any plans, but it was worth thinking about. And if he proved he wasn't going to cause trouble, perhaps the blonde might let him off easier.

He was going to regret this…

"Well, the plan hasn't really changed much."

"Oh?"

Ruby seemed to bounce back from her incomprehensibility surprisingly quickly, it would seem. Neo shifted her gait in front of them, and though she didn't look back, he could tell she was listening in as well.

"See, the plan was to head to Vacuo and hide out there." Roman said, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and lighting up. "Since Cinder's in Mistral, she'll probably go to Atlas next. Vacuo's still the best place to hide out."

"But why not fight with us? If she's gonna find you eventually, why not go down fighting?"

"Ruby, I'm a coward. That is a fact that I am _very_ proud of, because it's the reason I'm still alive today." Roman blew out a puff of smoke, ignoring Ruby's concerned look. "So maybe she _will_ find me eventually. But it'll take longer for her to find me than for me to fight her, and if the end result is certain death, I'll take my chances with cowardice."

"But what about that night in the hotel room?" Ruby said, desperate. Neo looked back for a second and raised an eyebrow at him. "When you said you wanted to live free? What about that?"

"Kid, I value living over freedom. I mean, if you're free but dead, what's the point?"

"Why are you so sure you would lose?"

"Look, I'm not sure if you remember what happened the other day, but let me recap – I, Neo, you and your _whole team _fought Cinder together and we _lost_. And if what I've heard is any indication, Cinder's boss is even stronger. So yeah; me winning? That's a sucker's bet if I ever heard one."

Ruby seemed to slump at that, and they simply continued to trudge forward. Neo wasn't looking at him, but he felt like she was upset with him for some reason.

Ah well. What did she expect? He wasn't exactly the adventuring type.

Still, something about Ruby's sad expression unnerved him. He elected to ignore it and move on.

/-/

Cinder shied away from the spotlights as she made her way through the checkpoint. Mistral police had set up stations right next to the exits at the city wall – no way out without being checked.

Cinder wondered if she should be flattered.

The guards seemed to inspect her as she came close, hiding her face in her hood. This was the right gate and the right time that Adam had specified, so she could only hope the fool had something planned.

She did _not_ feel like fighting off the Mistral police today.

One of the guards stopped her at the gate.

"Hoods down please." His accent gave him away as Atlesian. Was this the lengths of Mistral's desperation?

It was no matter now; it was go-time.

With one hand she pulled down her hood, and as the man's eyes widened, she sent a blast of fire into his face, followed by a shock of ice. As he fell, burnt and frozen to death, she turned to see the other guard squirming impotently, a red blade poking through his chest. He fell forward, revealing Adam standing there.

"Cinder."

She sighed inwardly.

"Adam," she said, "I was waiting for you."

He smirked. "Worried I wouldn't pull through?"

"It was the intelligent choice." She looked around but saw no White Fang anywhere. She turned back to see Adam opening the portcullis. "Are we to be joined by anyone else?"

Adam kept his smirk as he turned back. "The rest of my forces have already left the city. We are the only two left."

"And I suppose we are to join them?"

"You would suppose correctly." He finally sheathed his blade with a dramatic flourish, motioning at the open gate. "Ladies first."

"Why _thank_ you Adam." She started down the path, and Adam followed, checking they weren't being followed. Soon enough after they were out of sight and Adam took the lead again. They walked for some time like that, sheltered by the dying foliage around them. Eventually, Adam led her into a clearing.

Cinder saw a small mass of White Fang members, packing up and hiding their campsite. Some saluted Adam as he came near; others simply nodded as they went about their business.

"Is this all you have?" Cinder asked, frowning in disappointment.

Adam shook his head. "Not even close."

"How so?"

"When we lost at Haven, much of the White Fang turned on me." Adam said, gritting his teeth. "But enough remember what 'loyalty' means. We have taken back the largest base in Mistral territory, and even more flock to it by the day."

"How many?"

"Several thousand strong. You have your army."

Cinder nodded thoughtfully. Yes, these fools were weak, and poorly trained, but there were many of them – and even the weakest of creatures could turn the tide of a battle with a well-placed blow. "I approve."

"Good. Now…" he said, stepping away from her. He faced his men.

"Everybody, listen up!" All of the men – and a few women, sprinkled here and there – turned in attention. "We have survived the Belladonna's coup of our forces. We will not let their weakness stop us from achieving justice!" The crowd cheered loudly, and Cinder wondered if they were even thinking about what he was saying.

Oh well.

"Now you must head on to the Mistral Headquarters to join our brothers in arms. I, however, must go on ahead. I need to be there sooner to rally our people and prepare for more loyal arrivals. With that in mind" – he gestured to Cinder – "I must introduce you to one of our great allies, Cinder Fall!" Though she could sense some confusion in the ranks, they applauded her none the less. Finally, the respect that she deserved.

"She is to join us in our quest – as we shall join in hers – but she does not know the way to the base. You are to lead her there. However, listen to her commands along the way; be warned! She is not to be messed with. Good Luck on your journey; we shall get what we deserve!" There was thunderous applause from the ranks as Adam stepped back, and soon they returned to their tasks with great vigour. Adam turned back to Cinder.

"How was that?" he asked.

"Splendid." She purred.

"Good to hear." He nodded, beginning to walk away. Just before he entered the shadows of the forest once more, he turned back for a second. "Don't ruin this."

"I won't." She nodded confidently, and he turned away, shaking his head. He disappeared into the bush.

She stared after him for a second until she heard a cough. She turned to see a White Fang member holding a pack in his arms.

"Miss Fall," he said, lowering his head in reverence, "we're ready to move."

She smiled mirthfully. "Then lead the way."

/-/

Roman heaved as he trudged along, and he could tell that Ruby was doing the same. Even Neo seemed tired, though it was hard to tell with her most times. He looked up at the sky; surely, they _had_ to be close?

"Okay guys let's stop for a moment – I can't go on much longer!" said Ruby, clutching at her torso. Roman had stopped the moment she spoke, collapsing on the floor, and Neo was equally quick to stop, though she wasn't quite as dramatic about it.

Roman breathed heavily, staring up at the canopy. He looked over to Neo.

"We're close, right?" he asked. Neo nodded, sitting down.

Ruby sat down as well, closing her eyes. "Thank the gods. We're in the home stretch, guys!"

"Yeah, yeah."

They sat silently for a few minutes, before getting up and heading off. Roman felt slightly better about it when the forest opened up, and they saw a dirt path before them.

"Yes!" Ruby danced to herself and Roman just shook his head. Neo giggled silently. Ruby stopped and turned back to them.

"Right!" She leaned in, holding up a finger. "We just have to go up this road, and we should reach Mistral in no-time!"

"Sounds great." Roman adjusted his hat and shook the dust out of his cane as Ruby turned away and attempted to have a conversation with Neo. He chuckled as he heard her frustration but stopped when he heard a sound.

Marching.

Quickly, he grabbed both of the girls and pulled them into the foliage. Ruby squeaked, but he simply held a hand over her mouth as they watched the road. Soon, they saw them.

A column of White Fang members came marching down the road, carrying supplies and weapons as they travelled. Roman watched as they carried along with haste, trying to keep in step. One of them was humming near the back; eventually, the sound of marching disappeared into the distance.

It was then that Ruby said something incredibly stupid.

"White Fang! They must be fleeing Mistral for their evil base! We _have_ to follow them."

"What-Why?" Roman stared at her incredulously.

"We need to find out where they're hiding so we can stop them. It's really simple actually."

"No, I _meant_-" Roman took a step away from her, "-why would _we _help you? It's a stupid risk."

"Oh. I – well, I guess- huh?" Before Ruby could start bawling or whatever it is she was about to do, Neo attached herself to Ruby like a mollusc, staring Roman down.

"Neo?" Roman asked.

Neo stared.

"Neo."

Neo stared harder.

"Neo, no."

Neo frowned sadly.

"Neo, I- fine. Have it your way. Let's go, I guess." The girl's faces lit up as Neo leapt back grinning. Ruby sped off, and Neo followed closely. Roman had no choice but to run to keep up.

This wasn't going to end well, Roman could feel it.

* * *

**Roman, you would feel correctly. This ain't going to end well.**

**I managed to get Cinder out of Mistral this time, and Adam is more powerful than he is in the show - mainly because I find it hard to believe that a man who managed to rally a huge number of people to kill their old leader would lose all of that support the moment he made a tactical retreat - even with the Belladonnas. I mean, he was supposed to be really persuasive, right?**

**And now Roman and Ruby are on their way to see him. Oh dear.**

**Next Chapter:**

**RRN are off to follow up those dastardly White Fang - and Cinder's on her way...**

**What are they going to find? How will they deal with it? Can Roman even survive it?**

**Find out next time. Adios!**


	9. Reincarceration

**Another chapter on time? I'm on a roll!**

**I'm currently in a supermarket uploading this from free WiFi just to get this to you, so I hope you're happy.**

**Be warned: this chapter, everything goes to shit. Prepare yourself.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**To Steal from the Cookie Jar**

**A Rosewick Story**

**Chapter 8 – Reincarceration**

/-/

The White Fang compound loomed tall over their heads. Well, two of them anyway.

They had followed the caravan of White Fang for miles, until even Ruby seemed tired of it. But just when they thought they were done, and were ready to give up, the base had almost appeared in front of them, and they had watched the group go in.

It was huge; holding at least five thousand men, the place was more like a town than a camp. It had huge red and black painted walls of stone and wood, and what little they could see inside indicated hastily built guard towers. Despite its size, it was clearly never meant to hold the number of men it held today, and so the men were likely packed like sardines. However, Roman scanned the area meticulously for more guards and saw none; they were alone.

He looked back to Neo, her face morphed into an expression of worry as she stood close to Ruby's side. Ruby, however, was looking on with determination.

"This has to be where the White Fang are hiding after Haven. We have to stop them!"

"Slow down, kid." Roman shook his head while Neo grabbed Ruby's arm. "One: stop them from what? From what we've seen, they're just _converging_ here and nothing more. Two: how? There's thousands in there! We'd need almost a quarter of the Atlesian Army to take them down."

"There has to be _something_ we can do. I mean look; no one around! There must be something keeping them. We have to get inside." And with that, Ruby broke from Neo's hold and zoomed off. Neo ran after her as fast as she could, and Roman was forced to follow along. He gave an exasperated sigh as he ran.

Ruby found an entrance and stopped by it, allowing Roman to catch up. The three of them looked around the corner.

Three White Fang guards sat around a table, drinking slowly as they chatted among themselves. Ruby began to unsheathe her weapon, but Neo stopped her, grabbing both of their arms. Roman felt that familiar disorientation come over him, and then they were gone.

They reappeared deeper within the walls, surrounded on all sides with boxes of all shapes and sizes; it was cramped and uncomfortable, the room full of enough supplies to feed an army. On one side was a broken window that revealed a large courtyard, milling with people.

Perhaps that was what this was; an army.

"Thank you, Neo." Roman nodded weakly to the girl, who smiled and nodded back. He turned to Ruby, incensed. "Are you mad?"

"We need to-"

"We didn't _need_ to do anything, kid." Roman said, stepping close. "We could have just reported back in Mistral, told them. They have firepower we could _never_ hope to match. We're out of our depth, Ruby."

"Whatever." Ruby shuffled past him unconcerned, staring at the boxes and reading their labels. When she took out her scroll to take a picture, she gasped.

"We've got signal!"

Roman took his phone out of his pocket and looked at it. Sure enough, it bleeped, registering a few bars of CCT connection. He shut it down to save power. "They must have a transmitter tower somewhere here." At Ruby's confused look he put the phone down and explained. "The cities had them built in random parts of the forest here in case of emergencies. It's probably why they put the base here; easier to communicate via CCT."

Ruby nodded, staring at her scroll. She tapped something out, then looked out of the window. Roman looked also and noted again the large number of White Fang members milling about a central rostrum, upon which another White Fang member, a deer faunus, was fiddling with some sound equipment. He coughed into a microphone, and the crowd went silent.

"Fellow members of the White Fang!" said the faunus, addressing the crowd. "It makes me very proud to see you all here. The Belladonnas have attempted to fracture us, but here we stand, survivors, five thousand strong!" The crowd lauded his statement, but Ruby growled at Roman's side.

"However, I am both happy and sad to say that I am no longer running this compound." Sounds of confusion rippled through the courtyard, but the faunus waved his hand dismissively. "No, nothing bad has happened; it is simply that a far more suitable leader has arrived today."

"A faunus more dedicated to this cause than any other; more willing." The crowd applauded. "A great fighter, stronger than any of our men." The applause was louder this time, and the broken window frame shook from the sound. "A man so loyal, he just today took great risk in hijacking a Mistralian airship to turn a journey of two weeks into two hours." Ruby slumped, and Roman felt the same; two weeks to Mistral? He looked back to Neo to see her hiding her face in her hands, still embarrassed about her 'mishap'. He was about to chuckle when the faunus' next words sent chills through his heart.

"I present to you: our high leader, Adam Taurus!"

The crowd gave off a deafening roar as Roman span and stared down. There, as the man had said, Adam Taurus was stepping up onto the rostrum, forgoing the microphone with a wave of the hand. Ruby's breathing was shallow at his side; his was much the same. Even Neo peeked over the windowsill to gape at one of the dangerous men they had ever had the displeasure to meet.

"My fellow faunus!" The man yelled, his bellow carrying across the entire courtyard. The crowd went quiet once more.

"We are her because when the Belladonnas pushed us off a cliff, we stuck the landing!" There was applause again, but Adam motioned them to calm down, and when they were quiet again, he spoke. "But that does not mean we are victorious."

"We were dealt a heavy blow that day. Those un-loyal to our cause sought to destroy us, and we _collapsed_ under their sudden assault. We have lost the support of Menagerie, as well as many of the faunus in Mistral. Our oppressors believe us doomed… But are we? Before me I see many great warriors, ready to lay down their lives for a better future. We do not care for traitors; we will get what we _deserve!_"

The roar of thunderous applause was deafening; Roman had to admit, for all his faults, Taurus could certainly rally a crowd.

"I have just left the last group escaping Mistral's new oppressive measures. They have the most important job of them all; they are leading one of our strongest allies here." Adam said, pacing slowly on the rostrum. "More faunus escape the treachery and oppression of our enemies each day, and we welcome them with open arms! Once that ally arrives in a few weeks, we will return to the liberation of our people with renewed vigour. We were born oppressed; and this organisation was born out of that hardship. When they oppress us harder, we do not go limp and comply! We go strong against the grit, and tough it out. This defeat has not weakened us; it has merely hardened our resolve!" The crowd roared again. "We will not go quietly! We will save the faunus and bring down oppression, whatever the cost. Do not be phased by our loss; it is not the first, and we survived those. We were _born_ from loss. From pain. We are doing what we must!" The crowd clapped and started chanting. '_We will get what we deserve!'_ They screamed, some whooping and cheering in the cacophony. When they had wound down, Adam smirked and began again.

"With Mistral lost to treachery, we must focus our sights on Atlas. Once we have taken from them what we deserve, our brothers in Mistral will finally realise they have been tricked. We will get what we-" He stopped suddenly, before his gaze trailed over to the building the were in. He had seen them.

_Shit._

"I see we have some guests!" Adam said, taking up his pistol. Members of the crowd did the same, and a barrage of bullets flew at the window. Ruby flung herself forwards out of the window, and Neo stared in shock before leaping out of the way.

Roman did the same, hiding behind some crates. He looked over at Neo and signed to her. "_That girl is insane!"_

"_I know!"_ signed Neo, before leaping out of the window as well. Roman cursed and jumped out in pursuit.

He wasn't losing her again.

He landed in the courtyard to see Ruby clashing blades with Adam himself, the pair a blur of red and black. Neo was clashing with one of the White Fang – the deer faunus again, wielding a painted cutlass with a serrated back edge. Another faunus – a snow leopard with padded paws and a pair of bone knives – leapt to intercept him, and Roman parried the blows. The fight was a blur – the faunus mixed kicks with slashes, and Roman found difficulty dealing with both. Every other second, a stray bullet would hit him somewhere, and a chunk of his aura would drop. He could feel himself weakening as the White Fang member reared back a paw.

He was launched back into a wall by the force of the blow, and felt his aura shatter as he got up. He fought against the haze as it began to settle on his mind. Then Neo's body landed in front of him.

She struggled to get up, before being barrelled over by Ruby's incoming form. He ran over and helped Neo up, only to get knocked down by another bullet.

Neo looked down at him in worry as he hissed, hand going to his gut. He looked over to Ruby – unconscious – and looked back at Adam, who was slowly approaching.

He stared at Neo.

"Run, Neo!"

"_No way-"_

"Go! Now!"

Neo looked from him, to Ruby, to Adam. She seemed to deliberate, but it was cut short as a lucky shot caught her Aura. She looked back down at him.

"_I'm sorry."_

"I know."

Roman watched as Neo disappeared. He turned back to see Adam come up to him.

"Roman." Said Adam, smirking. "Never thought I'd see you again."

"Yeah, well…" Roman winced, lying back. "I guess I really _am_ good at surviving, huh?"

"I suppose. Well, I guess this means I finally get the opportunity to kill you."

Adam levelled his gun at Roman's head, grinning. Roman just panted slowly, staring down the barrel.

"You have no _idea_ how long I have wanted to do this." Said Adam.

"I guess."

Roman closed his eyes and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

He cracked an eye open to see Adam frowning at the gun, before smirking again. He put it away, taking a more relaxed stance.

"You know what." Said Adam, directing with his hands for his men to grab Ruby. "I'll keep you alive until Cinder gets here. She's pretty angry with you. I think it would be fun to see her melt the fat from your bones."

"Oh, how very righteous." Roman grinned cheekily.

"Oh shut up. At least I get the pleasure of doing _this_." Adam reared his leg back.

Before he felt the blow to the head, Roman wondered idly if he might get brain damage from all of these blows to the head.

He certainly hoped so. Might be easier to deal with.

The world went dark, and he was out.

/-/

Yang tapped the side of the couch in depressed boredom, staring off into space.

"Yang you can't just sit here and mope all the time. You need to go out at some point. And you need a shower, you stink!" Weiss, in the middle of a rant, kept talking as if Yang was listening. Blake simply shrunk further into the couch and kept her eyes glued to the screen.

The others had gone out looking again, but she knew they wouldn't find anything. She'd already scoured the city on her own three times in the first 24 hours since Ruby's disappearance and had been sitting there on the couch ever since. Wherever Ruby was, she wasn't in Mistral.

If she was even still alive.

"Yang, are you even listening?" Weiss glared at her, and Yang decided to speak.

"No, Weiss, I'm not. And do you know why?" Yang leaned forward a little, locking eyes with Weiss. "Because what's the point? The only reason I came to Mistral was because I was following Ruby, and now she's gone and I…" Yang put her head in her hands. "I don't know what to do."

"None of us know what to do, Yang." Said Blake, sitting up. "But you need to do something, or you're going to go crazy."

"I'm fine." Said Yang, but Weiss retorted.

"No you are not, and if you say that one more time I'll-" she stopped, looking down inquisitively. Yang looked on with confusion when Blake suddenly did the same thing. It suddenly made sense when her scroll buzzed next to her.

The RWBY team chat.

She scrambled for her scroll, opening the lock screen with tentative fingers.

_Hey guys, it's Ruby!_ The text said. _I'm not dead! I just found a signal at a White Fang base. Are you getting this?_

The three girls quickly began texting back at a mad pace, and stopped to wait for a reply. However, ten minutes passed, then twenty. Yang sighed, and Weiss got up and began pacing.

"Why wouldn't she text back?" Weiss said, slowly wearing a hole in the carpet.

"Maybe she's in danger and can't stop to text back. She said she was in a White Fang base." Blake had given up on her book, rocking lightly back and forth on her side of the couch.

"I thought that at first, but for twenty minutes? Surely she would pick up at some point."

"Maybe she's been captured." Blake and Weiss stopped and looked over at Yang, who was back to tapping on the sofa. "Maybe the White Fang caught her, and they took her scroll."

"Then we need to go save her!"

"But we don't ever know where she is." Said Blake.

"I- I -" Weiss stopped and sighed, sitting down. "You're right."

"Then what do we do?" said Yang, leaning forward again.

"We just sit here and hope she sends us another message or something. I'm sorry Yang, but we don't have enough to go off." Blake leaned across and hugged her tightly. "Just promise me you'll actually get up and do something for once. We're all worried about you."

Yang nodded reluctantly. "Fine."

Blake smiled, before gagging and throwing herself back. "Also, Weiss is right; you _need_ a shower."

Yang laughed for the first time since Ruby had disappeared. "Ok."

Weiss smiled after her as she walked off, before looking wistfully at her scroll.

_Please be safe, Ruby. We need you safe._

* * *

**My thoughts exactly, Weiss. My thoughts exactly.**

**Now that was a hell of a scene, so I forgive you for taking a moment to reel from it. Ready Now? Good.**

**Adam is a hell of a public speaker, I think. Just because he's wrong doesn't mean he can't turn a crowd. And hey, random faunus OC's! Would you believe me if I said I made it up as I go along? **

**Just more material to use for later fics, I guess.**

**The next few chapters will probably be a bit slower – in fact, I have fully planned out the story now. Though I may have to make some modifications.**

**Adam took an airship to the base, so he got there in two hours. It will take Cinder almost two weeks on foot. Just to clear that up, if you were confused.**

**So yeah. Roman and Ruby are in Adam's clutches, and Neo is on the loose…**

**Next Chapter:**

**Roman and Ruby are locked in the same cell for at least a few weeks, and getting out won't exactly bring good tidings either.**

**What will they do? Will Yang and the others find them in time? What's Neo going to get up to?**

**Find out next time. Adios!**


	10. Reimposition

**Hey guys! Remember how last time I was writing from a shitty supermarket WiFi? We're back at Morrisons baby! **

**This is the struggle of going to school and writing at the same time. Something keeps you at school for another hour and you are forced to use the free WiFi from a public place because the school WiFi blocks .**

**Still, I saw some comments, mostly disagreeing with me... and thats absolutely fine. You are entitled to your own opinions. Just know that _this_ is how things are going in _my_ fanfiction. Just for continuity's sake.**

**I'm sorry for missing last week's upload, but it was my Dad's birthday, so I spent the whole evening celebrating with him. In the meantime, however, I've started some other projects, that I have mentioned on my tumblr!**

**Now, into the chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

**To Steal from the Cookie Jar**

**A Rosewick Story**

**Chapter 9 – Re-imposition**

/-/

Roman sat and wallowed in his cell.

The room was somewhere within the centre of the complex; the walls lacked windows and were covered in a dampness that threatened to harbour mould. One of the grey walls was intersected by a barred cell door. From each side of the ceiling hung a strange orb that gave off a quiet hum – aura dampeners. He tapped his foot as he waited.

Suddenly, the cell door opened with a squeal, followed by a more human-sounding squeal. Ruby was thrown through the doorway, rolling across the floor and slamming into the back wall. She struggled to stand, and Roman got up to face the new arrival.

Adam Taurus waltzed into the cell, smirk gleaming like a shattered mirror.

"Adam!" he said, smirking back cheekily. "How goes the day?"

"Roman. So glad to see you behind bars." Adam sneered at him, but he shrugged in response.

"Well, nothing's new, I suppose. Thanks for not killing me, by the way. Really appreciate it, y'know?"

"Silence." Adam frowned, turning his attention back to Ruby, who was now standing. "You will soon learn of your foolishness."

"You're wrong!" Ruby stepped forward in challenge, seemingly oblivious to the painfully obvious height difference. "We're going to stop you."

Adam laughed out loud, shaking his head. "We have thousands of men ready to _die_ for our cause. With Atlas in quarantine as it is, we hold the largest working army in Remnant. There is nothing you can do, and when Cinder arrives… well, let's just say your execution will be a hell of a spectacle. Especially you, 'little Red'. Cinder really hates you in _particular_."

"Why are you doing this, Adam?" said Ruby desperately. "What is she going to give you?"

"Victory. With her at our side, we will be unstoppable, even for Atlas."

"But she _isn't_ at your side – you're at _hers__!_" Ruby tried to reach out towards him, but he stepped back out of the doorway. "You can't trust her."

"I don't need to trust her. And if she betrays me…" Adam stroked his blade menacingly as he slammed the door shut. "She'll die my enemy or live to regret it."

Ruby slumped against the wall. Roman listened as Adam's footsteps disappeared into the distance. Roman took the opportunity to make sure she wasn't injured.

Whatever Adam had done to her, it had not been kind; her arms were covered in bruises, and her dress was slightly ripped at the hem. She was covered in small scratches, and her now wild hair fell over her eyes to hide the tear-tracks on her face. She was breathing heavily, and each movement seemed strained – Roman realised she must be aura-deficient.

She suddenly glared at him. He blinked in surprise as she marched over angrily.

"Where in Remnant were you? You were supposed to follow me out!"

"I did! Neo and I fought the White Fang that you _leapt into the middle of,_ and then you went and got yourself knocked out!"

"If you had helped me, I would have-"

"Done nothing!" Roman pushed her and she stumbled back. "We were outnumbered over a _thousand to one_. There was _nothing_ we could do. All _you_ managed" – he pointed at her accusingly – "was get us captured and stuck on death row until Cinder arrives. This. Is. Your. Fault!"

"Neo can get us out of here; she helped you escape from the Atlesians-"

"That was because she spent weeks weakening their forces and learning their rotas. We don't _have_ weeks! And besides, I told her to run, to save herself. If she's got half a brain, she'll be well on her way to Mistral by now."

"Then she can call for re-enforcements! We-"

"Re-enforcements? What part of 'largest working army' did you not get, Ruby? What are they gonna do, crash into them after they're shot down?" Roman shook his head in defeat. "There is no escape from this, kid. This is it. We lost. And all because of _you_."

"I- I- I don't believe you! There's no way- and we- oh no." Ruby began to sway dangerously. "I don't feel… good…"

She suddenly fell but Roman jumped forward to catch her. He laid her unconscious body down on the single bed in the room, stroking the hair out of her eyes. She settled into slow breathing, her eyes fluttering in her sleep. She was cute like this; angelic. Roman fought the urge to lean down and kiss her.

He got up and walked back to his seat. Perhaps he was too harsh, but he hadn't lied - they were doomed! If anything, he had done her a _favour_ by being blunt. Even as Roman tried to justify his anger, it faded quickly, and was replaced with a burning regret.

He hoped she would be better in the morning.

/-/

Neo sighed as she slumped against the wall of the attic. The White Fang member passed on by below, looking around with a flashlight.

The past day had been all sorts of tiring. After Roman had so thoroughly forced her hand, she had considered running like he had said. Unfortunately, she had more heart than sense, and decided she was going to break them out.

She was beginning to regret that decision.

She had spent the past day hiding in different spots across the complex, slowly being flooded out by the White Fang. She had to admit, Adam's men were methodical and skilled.

She saw another White Fang member pass below her. She was currently stuck in an attic on the centre of the compound, a dusty room full of timber frames and dust crates. She had no idea where Roman and Ruby were, but she hoped they were okay. She smiled at the thought of them having to share a cell. Perhaps she would have Ruby as a Mom after all.

She froze as somebody entered the attic.

She pushed back against the wall as she heard the faunus' footsteps draw nearer. _Not now!_ She thought. She looked frantically for an exit but was merely greeted by the sight of more White Fang outside. They were going to find her, and it would all be over. She prayed that Roman would be alright and gripped her weapon.

The faunus turned the corner.

She was wearing the customary mask of the White Fang, but enough of her face was showing to display her surprise at Neo's presence. She reached for her weapon, a black cutlass, and waited.

They stood like that for a few seconds, weapons ready to strike. But no movement followed, no violence. Neo, still on guard, took inventory on the girl in front of her.

She was wearing a grey t-shirt and a brown leather jacket with tight black workout shorts and she wore her vibrant white hair up in a bun. She had a bushy white fox tail and her skin had a strong tan, criss-crossed with darker scars on her legs where visible. She brought her hand away from the cutlass, and Neo relaxed, letting her weapon fall to her side. The girl took off her mask to reveal a pair of glittering bronze-and blue heterochromatic eyes and Neo let out a shocked gasp.

The faunus stepped forward and stared in shock at Neo, who stared back as well.

"You're… like me." Said the girl.

Neo only nodded. They stood like that for a few seconds longer before a third voice broke the silence.

"Blanche, is there anyone up there?"

The girl jumped when she heard the male voice, but quickly regained composure. She glanced warily at Neo, then turned towards the voice. "I don't think so!"

"Keep guard up there. Make sure she doesn't come back this way."

"Yes sir!" They both listened as the man's footsteps receded. 'Blanche' let out a sigh, turning back to Neo.

"You're… with that Roman guy, right?"

Neo nodded.

"Uh… so here's the thing…" Blanche walked into the centre of room and began to pace slowly. "I'm taking a huge risk here, but… if I help you, can you help me get out of the White Fang?" Neo blinked in surprise at her. "I've been having doubts recently, and… hey, why aren't you talking?"

Neo pointed to her throat.

"Uh… you're mute?"

Neo nodded.

"Oh." Blanche lowered her head in thought, before snapping it up again. "Do you know Atlesian Sign Language?"

"_Do you?"_

"Oh! Great!" Blanche returned to her soft pacing, her white-accented combat boots thudding quietly against the wooden floor. "So yeah… I want out and you need help. So… deal?"

Neo nodded and reached forward. Blanche took her hand and they shook on it. Neo noted the coarseness of the girl's hand as she pulled away.

Blanche just kept nodding, pacing repetitively on the wooden floor and whispering near-silently to herself. Neo just stared in quiet fascination – she had never met anyone else with eyes like hers before. Suddenly, the voice appeared again from downstairs.

"Blanche, stop your gods-damned pacing! And quit talking to yourself."

Blanche winced. "Sorry, sir!"

Neo heard grumbling from below, and Blanche stayed still for a few seconds before sitting down next to a crate and tapping the side of her leg nervously. Neo sat down next to her.

"_Are you okay?"_

The girl looked up in surprise and opened her mouth to speak before thinking better of it. She lifted her hands to sign.

"_More or less. Why?"_

"_Most people don't just abandon their beliefs because they met somebody like them on the other side. You've been planning this for a while, haven't you?"_

Blanche let out a pained sigh. _"Kinda. I joined after my brother died because I thought I could make a difference, but when I got here…"_

"_You realised they were just as bad as anyone else?" _

Blanche laughed. _"Pretty much. I was content with that, even the worst of the violence, when Sienna was in charge because at least she cared about the cause, even if I didn't. But Adam…"_ She shook her head. _"He just wants revenge. He only cares about himself. And I can't abide by that."_

Neo nodded in understanding. _"I used to work for this pretty grimy guy in Vale. Simple grunt work, exploiting children – pretty standard for criminals." _Blanche sat up a little in interest. _"But one day he fought against this new up and coming thief. The man had been making a name for himself, not just with his actions, but with his beliefs; he operated on a whole different wavelength to anyone at the time. No tolerance of abuse, rape, all the worst stuff that went on in regular gangs. When that guy made me an offer, I jumped ship as fast as I could."_

Blanche's eyes gleamed in comprehension. _"Roman Torchwick…"_

"_Exactly. I was originally doing the same kind of stuff as before, but Dad – Roman, that is – saw more to me. So he trained me to use my semblance, got me the best teachers he could find – so that I would be safe in the slums if he died one day."_

"_And then it happened."_

"_Yeah." _Neo nodded solemnly and they simply sat, shoulder to shoulder, against the crate. Blanche let out a sudden giggle.

"_I mean, it's not like these guys will miss me anyway." _At Neo's inquisitive look, she elaborated. _"Well, they never liked me. Mocked my nervousness and… well, my eyes mostly. I'm sure you understand." _Neo's jaw clicked. She _did_ understand. She could remember back before she was this strong. Before she was 'Romans crazy murder bitch, do not fuck with at all costs.' Back when she was just a weak little mute girl with freaky eyes and a useless semblance.

She pushed her anger back and smiled supportively. _"Well, we'll show them."_

"_Yeah."_

They sat in silence again, listening to the White Fang searching off in the distance. Blanche started tapping against her leg again.

"_Hey."_ Blanche looked over when Neo signed. _"We're gonna be here a long time. Wanna talk?"_

Blanche smiled. _"Lets."_

* * *

**These chapter titles are getting harder to find. But the show must go on!**

**Would you believe me if I said I made that character up on the fly? I was just like, 'shit I never made a character to go here' and then it happened. Blanche is kinda inspired by how I was feeling on the day; I was super stressed out about school and stuff, so that stress and anxiety found it's way in there. Also, lots of my ADHD and Autism found it's way in there too, so she's those as well I guess. At least she hasn't inherited my Tourettes, that would really suck for her.**

**So yeah.**

**Next Chapter:**

**Ruby and Roman are stuck in a cell for the foreseeable future, destined to death. Meanwhile, Neo has found a kindred spirit as she attempts to take down the White Fang and free Roman and Ruby.**

**What will they do? How will Neo get them back? When is Cinder going to arrive?**

**Find out... Next Time! Adios!**


	11. Rumination

**Sorry about being late, stuff came up.**

**Gotta say, not getting a lot of feedback on my tumblr... just going to remind you guys, it's xaosdiscordial . tumblr . c0m. I'm using it to log ideas that I have, as well as get feedback on chapters. This is important, as this story only has 9 chapters left (barring a x-mas special epilogue) and if you want to see more of my stories, you should follow me as an Author on here and also check out my tumblr. Not super active right now, but things might change if I get more traction there.**

**Now, into the chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

**To Steal from the Cookie Jar**

**A Rosewick Story**

**Chapter 10 – Rumination**

/-/

Ruby sighed loudly as she scratched another line into the wall. She got no answer.

It had been almost a week since Adam had caught them and she and Roman were now trapped in the same cell. The walls, she had found, were surprisingly easy to mark with just a little pebble. She pressed her painful fingers around the gravel stone as she gave the wall another pass, determined to keep time.

She sighed again, a little louder.

Still nothing.

She sighed once more, a little-

"What!"

She smiled in victory, throwing the pebble to the ground. There was plenty there; it made up a broken portion of the floor. Roman looked over at her from the chair with his handsome little scowl as she sat down on the bed.

There was one bed in the room, and it had taken a while to decide upon who would have it. At first, Roman had grumpily insisted that she have it. When she voiced her objections, they settled on a rota – first Ruby, then Roman, then Ruby again and so on. The other would sleep upright on the chair (the only other piece of furniture in the room) or lie on the floor.

A few times when it was his turn and he had gone to sleep she had snuck into the bed with him – just for warmth, of course. He would seem annoyed about it when he woke but he never demanded that she stop. That had confused her, but she eventually realised that he was just happy that she wasn't freezing. He was really bad at pretending to not care; it was kind of cute.

Now that she finally had his attention, she cleared her throat.

"I don't know about you, but I'm _really_ bored."

"Well that's not my fault, is it?"

There it was. That defiant grit that she had become sort of used to during their time together. It was almost like a game to her now; to convince him to care about something, anything.

It was a fun game.

"I know, but still… I mean, there's still stuff that we could do! But we finished the food they gave us ages ago and we've done nothing since. It's the same every day; we eat, I scratch a line on the wall, and _nothing_ else. I'm sick of it! I wanna do something new."

Roman ran a hand through his hair where his hat would have been, sighing loudly. Ruby watched as he leaned back, rolling his sparkling green eyes. His suspenders warped as he stretched, and Ruby was suddenly reminded of his slight figure.

The second night after they had been caught, she had pretended to be asleep and saw him inspect a small wound on his stomach. The thing had scarred over but healed quickly from his aura. She had surmised that he had gotten it during her fight with Adam, then had noticed with a stifled gasp and a blush that he was shirtless.

His physique was light but not insubstantial – His arms had the most of his torso's musculature, though his abs where certainly visible. He was no Sun Wukong, but he was attractive in his own way. Back in the present, she imagined his legs had to be pretty muscular too – he had kept his balance easily on that ship back at the Fall. An imagined image of him naked passed through her mind and she flushed a little, erasing that line of thought. Roman did not notice.

"What do you suggest we do? You seem to think that there's tons of options, but I don't see any. We're trapped in a cell in the middle of a White Fang compound with nothing but pebbles, a chair, a bed and the clothes on our backs. What, _exactly_, do you want to do?"

Ruby took in a deep breath. She had wondered about doing this since she had properly met Neo in the forest, and it was one of the few things she had thought of.

And she'd had a long time to think. She just didn't know if he'd go with it.

"I'd like to learn sign language."

Roman blinked at her in confusion, and she felt suddenly embarrassed. "Why?"

"Well, y'know, I just… I wanted to better understand Neo. In case we survive this. And I understand if you aren't interested in teaching me, I mean, it could be a personal thing between you two, but if you're okay with teaching me I think it could be-"

"Ruby."

Ruby stopped as Roman got up, walking over and sitting to her right on the bed. He turned to face her.

"Alright, let's do this then. Just hope I don't regret it… Hold your hands out. Not that far out! Okay, now let's start…"

/-/

"You're sure this will work?"

Neo nodded at Blanche excitedly. Blanche simply shook her head exasperatedly. They both watched, hidden, as the White Fang guard opened the door.

He was drenched in a light pinkish-brown liquid.

"For fuck's sake!" said the guard, inspecting the bucket that the liquid had come from. He scanned the room in frustration, unaware of the culprits hidden via Neo's semblance right in front of him. "Third time this week…" He trudged angrily off in the direction of the changing rooms, oblivious of Neo's quiet sniggering.

Blanche looked at Neo in confusion. "What was in that bucket?"

"_Melted ice-cream."_

"What kind?"

Neo smirked. _"Neapolitan, of course."_

They made their way past the upturned bucket now on the floor and crept quickly through the corridor the guard had been watching. They had been waiting for hours for an opportunity to get that door open and unguarded before Neo had her idea – these were the stores, where tons of valuable equipment were kept. If they had access to the stores, they'd have enough firepower to wipe out the base – if only they had the manpower. Unfortunately, it was just her and Neo – and Neo wanted something out of this. Blanche only wished Neo would tell her _what_.

Blanche watched as Neo picked the lock dextrously, a skill well practiced, before it swung wide open. Beyond were crates and crates of what was presumably dust and guns. Neo waltzed in confidently and Blanche shut the door behind them.

"So, what are we grabbing? Guns, or dust, or…" Blanche rubbed her arm, looking worriedly at the door.

Neo made no response as she searched through the crates. At one point, she lifted up a dust rifle appraisingly but dropped it back into the crate as she lifted several items out. First was a cane with a crook handle, the end sporting what looked to be a spring-locked sight. Next, a huge red rectangular gun with visible mecha-shift components that were too complicated for her to figure out. Finally, Neo lifted a bowler hat with a red ribbon and a feather from the crate, dusting it off and placing it upon her own head. She closed the crate and hooked the mecha-weapon on her back, lifting the cane in her off hand. Then she smiled at Blanche, lifting both her umbrella and the cane into the air. Blanche smiled back and giggled a little.

The door slammed open. "What's going on in here!"

Blanche turned in shock at the door guard, who was still had dripping water-logged hair from whatever shower he had taken to deal with the prank. Blanche glanced back to see that Neo was gone somehow. She turned back to the man.

"I was… sorting the latest shipment."

The man looked at her quizzically. "Didn't somebody already do that?"

"So I have discovered. I was just about to leave when you showed up. What happened?" Spending the week with Neo had made Blanche a little more confident, but not that much. She still wanted him to leave ASAP, she was just… better at getting what she wanted.

The man growled. "Some little shit put a bucket of melted ice-cream above the door. Probably that weirdo on the run from a few days ago." He looked her up and down lecherously, getting a predatory grin. "Though, seeing as we're alone here…"

Blanche swallowed nervously as the tall man approached. This was not optimal to say the least. "Well, we both have jobs to do, right? I should really be… on my… way…"

The beastly guard reached out and brushed her chin with his meaty fingers. She gulped again, gritting her teeth and thanking her mask for hiding her terrified eyes.

"Oh?" said the guard, leaning close. His rancid breath spread across her face. "See, I'm the one with the key to this room. I could just… lock you in here…" He licked his lips. "Though you might be able to… make it worth my while."

Blanche held firm as he stared her down. A few seconds passed like centuries. She held her breath.

The man suddenly let out a perverse laugh, stepping back towards the door. "You're right, girl. I've got a job to do. I suggest you get moving soon, though, before I get… bored." He grinned and let out another demented belly laugh before slamming the door behind him. Blanche was barely aware of Neo reappearing next to her before she was tacked in a hug. She hugged back, her mask hiding her wet eyes.

"It's okay, Neo… I'm… fine…" Neo squeezed tight for a moment before leaping back with a furious expression that was almost cute on her young face. She tucked the weapons under her arms so she could sign.

"_I should go out there right now and run him through. I should! I-"_

"_Don't. We're on thin ice as it is without missing guards. This is why we pranked him instead of killing him, remember?" _Blanche switched to sign so as not to be heard. Neo was undeterred.

"_Blanche, promise me – no seriously, promise me – that if anyone – anyone! – does anything like __**that**__ to you, you give me a call." _She mimed slitting somebody's throat.

"Neo-"

"Promise me!" she growled quietly.

Blanche gasped. "I thought you were mute!"

Neo frowned sadly. _"I can, it's just… hard."_

"Does it hurt?"

"_No, it just – look, you're changing the subject! Promise me. Please."_

Blanche met Neo's gaze. Her eyes were glistening with tears. Blanche swallowed and removed her mask, revealing her own tear-filled eyes.

"I promise."

Neo dropped the weapons and wrapped her in a strong hug. They stood there for a few seconds, hiding their tears from each other. Blanche eventually stepped back and wiped her eyes.

"We need to get out of here. I can just walk past, but what about you?"

Neo, eager to forget the previous exchange, gave a forced smirk. She grabbed her weapons from the floor, smiled again at Blanche and disappeared.

Blanche rolled her eyes. "Oh."

She turned back to the door. She knew she could ignore him a second time, but…

She thought back to her conversation with Neo and smiled. It was good to have people looking out for her.

/-/

"Okay Red, that's enough for now."

"What? But we've got all day."

Roman shook his head. "I know, but doing the same thing for ages is real boring. You'll learn faster if we take breaks."

"Fine." Ruby crossed her arms and pouted adorably.

Roman sighed. He got up from the bed and stretched, looking out through the bars of the cell. There was no way of knowing where Neo was, or if she was still alive, but here they were, learning how to understand her at Ruby's behest. He smiled to himself. If he was to be a creep, at least he had good taste in women.

He shook his head. He wasn't a creep! He could almost hear Neo's voice (or at least, the one he imagined for her) and Crimson's voice speaking in unison – 'Stop being a little bitch and kiss the girl!' – but he would stand firm. He had standards, damnit! The fact that she met most of his standards was beside the point – he had standards and a healthy heaping of self-control.

He just wished she would stop climbing into bed with him when he was sleeping.

He put on his practiced frown and looked back at Ruby. "So… what now?"

Ruby gave a thoughtful look, staring around for a second. Suddenly she grabbled some pebbles and pushed one into his hand, drawing a three by three grid on the wall and placing a circle in the middle.

"Can you play… Tic-Tac-Toe?"

Roman grinned. "Believe me Red, I am the_ best _at Tic-Tac-Toe."

"Prove it."

"Gladly."

And so began the most intense Noughts and Crosses game in the history of Remnant.

* * *

**Ah, Ruby. So oblivious to her own feelings... Still a force to be reckoned with though.**

**Next chapter should be more of the same, with maybe a glimpse of Adam in there. In the meantime, on Sunday I'm uploading the first chapter of a new crossover story between Spider-Man and RWBY. I'm excited to start, but you'll need to follow me to see it, so watch this space. In a couple weeks I'm uploading the beginning of a Dr Who/RWBY crossover as well for the Saturday slot, so watch out for that too if you're interested. Speaking of which; Once this story is over, the Thursday slot will be open for a couple of weeks and then I'm starting on an AU Neo x Ruby fanfiction, so follow me if you want that.**

**Luckily for you guys, this story won't be over for two months yet...**

**I'll say it again if you've forgotten: tumblr at xaosdiscordial . tumblr . c0m.**

**So yeah. Roman and Ruby are getting a little stir crazy, Neo is already crazy and Blanche is on the fence.**

**Next Chapter:**

**Roman and Ruby are still waiting on their execution - and Ruby is getting kinda handsy...**

**How will Roman cope? Can Neo and Blanche do this? ****What will Neo do next?**

**Find out next time.**

**P.S. I was wondering why I keep saying 'Adios!' at the end of these chapters. I'm British, not Spanish or anything. If anything, I'm some asshole from Cornwall trying to seem quirky and failing miserably. In light of these revelations, I will henceforth end with a traditional Cornish valediction. Ready?**

**See you dreckly!**


	12. Rotation

**Hey, two weeks in a row! I'm on a roll again!**

**For me at home, this is the last week before half term break so I have NO excuse to miss an upload next week. Let's see if I can find a new one, eh?**

**Anyway, my new Spiderman/RWBY story is underway, and the Doctor Who/RWBY story is coming out next Saturday, so look out for that. The SpiderRuby story is a weekly thing like this story, but the DoctorRuby one will be a fortnightly affair. **

**With that all out of the way, I'm going to let you experience the next dose of Ruby and Roman sitting around while Neo does chaos and Adam and Cinder scheme.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**To Steal from the Cookie Jar**

**A Rosewick Story**

**Chapter 11 – Rotation**

/-/

"So… is it like this?"

"No, Ruby, like this – look, I'll position your hands for you."

"Oh, I get it."

"Yeah. Now- oh my gods, it's so fucking cold in here."

"Hey, I'll warm you up." Ruby shuffled closer to Roman on the bed, wrapping her cloak around him. He smiled subtly.

"Thanks, Red. Now, where were we? Oh yes…"

/-/

"RaaaaAAARGHH!"

Adam screamed as he flipped the table, his guards looking on warily.

"S-sir, we are ready to serve however-"

"OUT!" The guards drew back as he slammed his fist into the wall. "Everybody OUT!"

"O-of course, s-sir." The head guard nodded obediently and stepped out, beckoning his followers. Soon, the room was empty save for Adam and the flipped table. Ruined maps and plans lay crumpled, cut and dirtied on the floor where they fallen. It was now the third time this week.

He ground his teeth together, clenching his fist. He had known that imprisoning Torchwick and Blake's teammate were a risky move, but ever since Torchwick's inscrutable accomplice had disappeared into the base complex, things had started going awry. Guns started being sabotaged, guards got caught out by what looked like childish pranks, the occasional quiet assassination and, twice and now thrice, vital plans being shredded, soaked and served up with a few dollops of ice-cream; strawberry, chocolate and vanilla.

The mute girl had been busy.

His fury was also directed towards his prisoners. They had attempted escape only once, near the beginning of the week, and then no more. They had by-passed the door guard and stolen his key, so the guard no longer held that key. They had fought unarmed through the complex, so his men got better weapons. They reached the door almost uncontested, so he had flooded the area with guards.

And yet, for all of his provisions, they did not seem to want to escape anymore. They simply sat in their cell, teaching each other, playing games and complaining about prison food.

This would have soothed a lesser faunus' heart, but he wasn't stupid; they were planning something. And knowing that they were planning _something_ but not enough to guess _what_ was infuriating. A guard had overheard them considering their execution – they apparently said that they would '_wing it'_. Anyone who though they could fight out of a White Fang compound, especially with Cinder amongst the crowd – well, they would be a force to be reckoned with.

He shook his head to clear the though away. The White Fang could take whatever they could give. It had to. And then, when the dust settled, he and Cinder would take over the world – with her powers and his army, they were unstoppable.

Maybe then Blake might finally…

No. He shook his head again, gritting his teeth for good measure. She had set herself up as his enemy; she was with _that girl_ now – the human. She had betrayed him for the final time. His scarred eyes hardened beneath his mask. There would be no more mercy, no forgiveness. Soon, he would win, and then…

He would get what he deserved.

He jumped when one of his men – the high-ranking officer who had ran the camp before him but whose name he could not remember – burst the through the door. To his credit, the faunus only appeared confused at the mess for about a second before he came to his senses.

"Supreme Leader Taurus, we have a situation."

Adam let his hand relax on his blade, playing off how he had almost drawn it. "What do you mean?"

"A group of human travellers happened upon the base. We have them detained now."

Adam grinned murderously, caressing Wilt casually. "Is that so?"

/-/

Neo frowned as she watched Adam murder the travellers.

They stood on chance, really; they were poor merchants, men who would have frequented the Mistral taverns once a month before heading off into the forests in search of traders. They had probably come across the base by accident.

It was really Adam's fault – the base was too big to be hidden. Seeing as they could never let a human go alive to reveal the location, it would only serve to increase the amount of people they would need to kill.

Though perhaps, Neo noted as she saw Adam's mad glee, that was the point.

"It's not right." Said Blanche quietly, sitting next to her in the hidden vent. Neo just nodded before moving along silently. They crawled together for a while, the sound of Adam's violence disappearing behind them. Soon Blanche spoke up, unnerved by the silence.

"Where are we going now?" she said, her voice echoing through the metal shaft. Neo said nothing and simply grinned mysteriously, leading her friend into the darkness. Suddenly, they came across a vent grate. Blanche looked down.

There, sitting casually, was Roman Torchwick himself. He was sitting on the bed, scratching at his face where a slight stubble had formed – shaving was clearly not a prerogative in their imprisonment. He stared off into space, evidently bored. He, however, was not the most surprising aspect of the room. No, because for whatever reason Ruby Rose was nowhere to be seen.

Blanche pressed her face against the bars of the grate but was not rewarded with a glimpse of red; for some reason, Ruby was gone. She leaned back in confusion, cocking one eyebrow at Neo. Neo simply tapped the edge of the grate, where an uneven shiny line could be seen.

Ah. Welded shut.

Neo sidled by and pulled something from her jacket, dropping it through the gaps. It hit the floor of the cell with an audible clink and Roman perked up in surprise. He walked over and picked the strange object up, staring up at where it had come from. He blinked at seeing Neo's grinning face. He glanced quickly at the door before raising his hands.

"_I told you to leave."_

"_You think I could let you die?"_ Neo smiled cheekily.

Roman sighed. _"Is it go time? Is this a way out?"_

Neo shook her head at him. _"Welded shut. I have a plan though – hold tight."_

Roman nodded, before they all heard a sound from beyond the door. Roman pocketed the item and sat on the bed, feigning boredom. The cell door swung open and Ruby entered, followed by a man in a mask.

"That's it for today, yeah? I'm tired of grabbing this key for your 'bathroom breaks'." The brutish faunus stared at the girl in what appeared to be annoyance – it was hard to tell with the masks.

"You wouldn't have to do that if you kept the key here." Said Ruby with a pout.

"And we would keep the key here if you hadn't stolen it, eh? Anyway, this ain't up for debate, pipsqueak. Now shut the fuck up and stay that way." He slammed the door and stormed off, keys in hand. Ruby huffed before noticing Roman's thoughtful expression.

"What is it?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing important."

Neo and Blanche were already following the guard as he rushed through the complex, softening their sounds as best as they could. He didn't notice them as he went through door after door, their vent travel bypassing all checkpoints. It was a wonder that the base had so many vents, especially large and strong enough to hold people, but Neo wasn't surprised. She'd seen it all before. Villainy did make for some very poor design decisions – Roman included! Which was why it was so vital that she be there to hold him back.

The guard finally reached a digitally locked door, swiping a card to let himself inside. Neo and Blanche followed through the vents, coming to a dead end – there was only one more grate. They watched as he placed the keys on a rack and left, closing the door behind himself with a magnetic click. Neo smirked, pulling at the grate.

She frowned when it didn't budge. She checked the edge and found it welded shut. Blanche groaned.

"I guess we need to get that door open – but how?"

Neo only nodded in response, gears turning in her head. She needed a plan…

/-/

Cinder smirked as she let the fire grow in her palm. She leaned forward and lit the campfire the men had prepared – a silly little bundle of sticks arranged haphazardly into peak. The jaunty little flame was nothing compared to the sheer _heat_ of a city alight, but it would do for the night.

The White Fang soldiers had soon learned to respect and fear her power. She had demonstrated her potential whenever anybody stepped out of line – nothing major, just a bit of wind and a dramatic incendiary flair – and it was enough to keep them from protesting. How confused they must be, she thought. To be working for a human instead of a faunus. Some seemed torn, keeping their thoughts on humanity to themselves whenever she was near; others simply said their bit regardless. She didn't mind at all really – she hated humanity as much if not more than they did – but the way that some held their tongue was intriguing, suggesting a respect beyond simply fear.

The trek had been long and tiring. The soldiers, wrapping up for the day, moved sluggishly with weak legs and occasionally shaking knees. For them, the true terror was Adam; they had to get to the base as soon as possible or there would be consequences.

Cinder scoffed to herself. Adam would be useful, but she knew how he thought of her – he would be ready to betray her the moment he had what he wanted. She would have to kill him one day. Until then, however, he would be a very useful ally – for somebody so skilled with manipulation, he was surprisingly easy to manipulate.

She stood up and made her way to her tent. The flaps fell closed behind her as she sat back down on her bed roll, reviewing the plans. Yes, Adam would be _very_ useful – indispensably, in fact! Unfortunately for him, he would never know that. She had to keep her cards close to her chest.

A shadowy figure coughed outside of the tent.

"Come in."

The flap lifted up to reveal a young faunus with blue hair and rabbit ears. Though he wore the same featureless mask as his comrades, he had originally led the group. He was one of the few who saw her mind beyond her power and therefore made efforts to report back whenever he could. His information, though sometimes distressing, was always useful. As she wracked her mind for a name, he spoke.

"Miss Fall, I wondered if you would like to hear the travel officer's report?"

"I suppose."

"Of course." He crossed the room, giving a sharp salute before continuing. "I spoke with the travel officer earlier today. He finally has an estimate for our arrival date."

"And when does he think we will get there?"

"November the first, my lady. It works in line with my estimates, and he said he had taken the troops' tiredness into account."

"And you trust his predictions?"

The man's lips pursed. "He has never failed me before."

"Excellent." Cinder resumed her study of the plans. "Tell your men to rest up; it will be a long week."

"Of course, Miss Fall. Do you need anything else?"

"No thank you…" Cinder smiled, recalling the name. "Cobalt."

Cobalt nodded and dipped out of the tent. Cinder pulled out a pencil and started making corrections.

It was good to be powerful again.

/-/

Roman fingered the small object thoughtfully. He relaxed a little onto the bed, staring at it.

It was a small white-painted Zippo-style lighter with a tiny fire dust gem embedded into the broad side that Crimson had given him after their first… business venture together. The crystal had too many inclusions to be dangerous – it was nothing more than a pretty, naturally warm ornament. Wrapped around the crystal read some text: 'QUIS CUSTODIET IPSOS CUSTODES?', in bold black font.

"_What the hell does that mean?" Roman looked at Crimson quizzically._

"_It's written in one of the old tongues." Said the boy, in that odd little accent of his. "It means 'who watches the watchmen?' I thought it fitting."_

"_How so?"_

Roman chuckled quietly as he recalled that little event. The lighter wasn't the only gift exchanged that night; he had given Neo a necklace with a similar fixture and bore himself a ring – all faceted with an inert fire crystal and the same lettering engraved. That was, of course, the same night Crimson had stolen his old cane, but that was a whole other can of worms. He still couldn't remember the reason Crimson had given it to him; neither he nor Neo carried their gifts very often. He had thought the lighter lost in the Fall; apparently, Neo had saved it.

He flicked it open and let off a few sparks, momentarily enamoured by the flame that sprung forth. He quickly closed it lest the guards see and fitted it into his jacket pocket. Why had she given it to him?

Perhaps he was meant to escape with it- no, she had told him to hang tight. Can't hang any tighter than being in prison! Then maybe for his cigars- no, she knew he didn't have any – and neither Ruby or the guard would probably let him smoke even if he could. And anyway, he had to admit that life without tobacco had its… benefits. Then why-

Suddenly he got it. His mind drifted back to that ancient conversation, years ago.

"_But why give it to me and Neo, kid? Sure, we're friendly, but that ain't grounds for gift giving. I mean, it isn't exactly my birthday, eh?" The boy was silent for a second, inspecting his own ring. He looked up._

"_It's… solidarity, I suppose. It means that we can go to each other for help if things get rough."_

"_That's a tough sell Foxy, but I gotta admit… a safety net does sound nice."_

Of course. Somebody to go to when things got rough. It was a reminder – that she would stick with him, no matter what. All in all, pretty sappy, but… he appreciated the gesture.

Suddenly, the lights went out in the cell.

"Alright, lights out." Said the guard, getting up from his post. Nobody sat outside their cell at night – they had the corridors monitored but that was about it. People needed their beauty sleep, after all. It was no use escaping in the night – many of the faunus had night vision that put them at a major disadvantage.

Roman nodded over to Ruby, who had been carving another line in the wall. She was quite obsessed with keeping time. "Is it me or you for the bed tonight?"

"Your turn. I'll take the chair."

He eyed her warily but settled into the bed as the guardsman's footsteps receded. Soon, the light outside the cell flickered off as well. Roman steadied his breathing and let a calm descend upon him.

Then Ruby slipped under the covers with him.

"Gah-Ruby! What are you doing!" He whispered loudly.

"I'm cold!" She whispered back.

He sighed. "You're lucky I have at least some morals. I mean, couldn't you have waited 'til I was asleep like you usually do?"

"That's way too creepy. Sorry, but it gets colder every night and-"

"I know. You forget, I sleep on the chair too sometimes."

There was a pause.

"Roman," said Ruby cautiously, "how cold do you get those nights?"

"Kid, it isn't-"

"No, you listen here, Roman Torchwick!" Ruby wrapped an arm around him, snuggling closer. "If you're cold, I expect you to climb into bed with me!"

"Do you realise how weird that sounds-"

"I'm NOT finished!" Ruby pushed close, staring him down. "I don't want to wake up to find you sick or worse because it got too cold during the night. In fact, we are going to share heat every night from now on, is that clear?"

"What! No, I-"

"Is! That! CLEAR?"

Roman sighed, sensing a losing battle. "Fine. But why are you hugging me like that?"

"I'm cold!"

"That doesn't make any- ugh, never mind." Roman lay back and relaxed, trying to ignore the warm form pressed up against him. Ruby merely hugged him closer.

Soon, the two fell asleep, cradled in each other's warmth.

* * *

**Such budding romance, it makes my heart a-flutter! I mean, last chapter she could have just been cold, but _this_ has no other explanation - she wants him.**

**Roman is being respectful and letting her lead, but he's on thin ice, I tell you what. I mean, she's only 16!**

**For now at least; after all, you know what day comes before November 1st... hint-hint.**

**I'll say it again if you've forgotten: tumblr at xaosdiscordial . tumblr . c0m.**

**So yeah. Roman and Ruby are getting even stir-crazier, Neo is hitting a wall and Blanche is there for moral support.**

**Next Chapter:**

**Ruby and Roman's death draws ever nearer - and Cinder is on her way...**

**How close will they get? Can Neo get past this? ****Will they escape in time?**

**Find out next time. ****See you dreckly!**


	13. Resuscitation

**Hey guys, a few hours late!**

**This chapter was a drag to write. It was hard to drag it out without breaking the pacing while having a decent length to it, so I'm sorry if this isn't enough for you. The reason for my lateness will be revealed in the end notes, so be ready for that!**

**Thank you all for your great feedback.**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

**To Steal from the Cookie Jar**

**A Rosewick Story**

**Chapter 12 – Resuscitation**

/-/

Ruby sighed as she gouged another line into the wall.

She and Roman had been practicing the sign language for long enough that she could communicate – perhaps not fluently, but she could understand what was being said – and so the lessons now took up less and less of her time. Even the games of tic-tac-toe were becoming less frequent. She started to find herself wondering how long it would be until Cinder got here.

Ruby wondered if anybody else had ever got bored waiting for their own execution.

Roman had worked with her to create a simple, rudimentary plan – one that had been easier to construct now that she could understand his sign language. They were to fight their way out when they were being brought to their execution – if Neo didn't save them first. How Roman knew that Neo was around (or even had a plan) was uncertain, but Ruby assumed Neo must have sent him a message somehow. She put down the rock and counted the number of gouges on the wall.

What day was it? It had been two weeks now, but she had yet to consider the actual date. She though back to the last time she had checked the date on her scroll, when she still had it – she had sent those texts on the 17th October, hadn't she? 14 plus 17…

Her heart skipped.

She stood up abruptly and walked shakily over to her bed. Sure, she had considered that this might happen when she first got locked up, but… There was a difference between considering something and it actually happening.

Roman, to his credit, could tell something was wrong.

"Hey, Ruby, you okay?" He turned to focus on her, leaning closer from his spot on the chair.

"It's October the 31st."

"So what, you missing Halloween with your pals?" His eyebrows raised sceptically.

"No, Roman."

"Then what's eatin' at you?" He said, crossing his arms.

"Today is my birthday."

There was a pause.

"Oh." He leaned back a little in surprise. "Huh. Well, Happy Birthday I guess?"

She shrunk in on herself a little. This seemed to worry him a little.

"Okay, I'll be the first to admit that I'm clearly missing something. What's going on?"

Her breath hitched. "Why do you care?"

He sighed in exasperation, getting up and sitting on her right on the bed. "Kid, I've been stuck her with you for two weeks. Two. Weeks. And as much as I hated you at the beginning…" he took something out of his pocket – was that a lighter? – and stared at it for a second before putting it away. "Look at what you've done while we were in here. You asked to learn sign language - why? To better understand a person who you have always, up until now, fought _against_. You played games with me, why? To keep us both sane, to stop me from giving up. You even forced us to sleep in the same bed together – kinda suspect if you ask me – but why? To keep us both warm, both _alive_. All you've done has been to help other people. So, it would be an understatement to say you've grown on me a little. Now: what's wrong?"

She looked up at him in surprise. True to his word, he didn't seem hostile, just… concerned. Like he was worried for a friend. She found it odd – that a face she knew, that she had once hated, was now so warm, so _comforting_. It was jarring enough to will her to speak.

"Today," she said, "is my seventeenth birthday." She wrapped herself up in her cloak and leaned on him. "In my family, that's a big deal. I mean, by Patch law… I'm legal now. For everything except drinking. But that's not the important bit." She fiddled with the clasp of her cloak; the silver rose shined back at her. She could almost see her mother smiling in its reflection. "My family are all huntsman and huntresses, and 17 is when you usually go to an academy. I remember my sister's seventeenth; it was the greatest party I've ever been to, and it was just the four of us and a couple of her friends! But now… look how many friends, how much _family_ I have with me! It would trounce that party twice over… if it had happened." She looked down with glistening eyes. "But instead, I'm stuck here in the cold, and the damp, waiting for either escape or death. If I'm a huntress, I'm a pretty sucky one."

Roman suddenly laughed. She looked up in surprise as he actually _laughed_, his mirth reverberating around the dingy cell. She huffed as he came around, wiping tears from his eyes.

"That – ha – has got to be – heh – the most ridiculous – hah – thing you've said all day!" he chuckled until he was done. She crossed her arms and pouted. "You, a 'sucky huntress'. Hah! Don't be ridiculous – you've got to be the best damn huntress I've seen in years." Ruby started at yet _another _curveball from him, and he smirked. "Look at what you've achieved: you have bested me, a _master criminal_, multiple times; you maimed one of the most dangerous people I have ever met; you and your friends prevented Haven AND you helped me fight off a _Cinder FUCKING Fall _when it was just the two of us, even with your aura down! If anything, you are _super _reckless, but even still!"

"But I got us caught – I lost-"

"Against the entire White Fang – hell, you survived Adam Taurus. _Adam Taurus!_ In fact, I do believe that the last one of you little friends to fight him lost a limb. But here you are, in one piece." He smiled, oddly earnestly, and gave her a patronising pat on the head. "If anybody can get us out of here, it's you."

Ruby grumbled, resting her head on his shoulder. "You're too good at this. Why are you so good at this! You're an asshole, you shouldn't be good at this!"

Roman gasped dramatically. "Ruby Rose, was that a _swear? _Goodness gracious, what will your sister think?"

Ruby glared playfully at him. "And she won't hear about it, is that clear?"

Roman gulped, giving a ridiculously flamboyant salute. "Y-yes, ma'am!"

They stayed like that for a moment, before they both laughed at the silliness. Roman recovered a little faster than Ruby did, but she focused her gaze back on him.

"You didn't answer my question."

Roman gave a little sigh. "Well, I've looked after Neo for long enough to know how to talk to people I care about. And anyways, you aren't the only kid to have missed birthdays before."

"Oh?" she shuffled closer. "What do you mean?"

"Well, when I was a kid, my family was _pretty awful_. Real glad I got away from those people, but anyway – they would take any excuse to avoid being good parents, no matter how ridiculous."

"So… What, did they 'punish you' or something by not letting you celebrate your birthday?"

"For my siblings, sometimes – they're all dead now; they became druggies and overdosed, each and every one – but they found something way more insidious for me."

"What?"

He smirked. "I was born on February the 29th."

She blinked. What did that… it clicked. "Oh."

Roman chuckled. "Yeah… four years between each birthday. Now _that _sucked. Still, birthdays weren't so fun then, so yeah. Wasn't missing much. I mean, that shit was pretty normal for where I lived, so no biggie."

They sat for a while, mulling over each other's stories. Ruby suddenly leaned over and hugged him.

"Woah-"

"Roman Torchwick," she said, her voice slightly muffled by his jacket, "just because life sucked for everybody back then doesn't invalidate your problems. Now take my hugs!" She squeezed him harder and he chucked.

"Okay, okay, jeez." He smiled. "I mean… if you wouldn't mind… I'd be happy to… I mean…"

She looked him in the eyes, surprised again. "Do you… want to come to my birthday party?"

He chucked nervously. "I mean… Neo might want to go, and…"

She suddenly latched on to him with a stronger hug than before. "Ohmygodsofcourse! Of course, of course, of course!"

He smiled awkwardly. She stayed there at his side, almost lying on top of him.

"Are… are you going to let go-"

"Nope."

"Okay then." He sat there and let her lie on him.

Suddenly, they heard the sounds of a struggle beyond the door. As they looked up and stared, they saw a familiar figure unlocking the barred door, letting it swing wide. Neo stood with a smirk on her face, leaning on Roman's cane.

Roman squinted at her. "Not a word."

She stuck her tongue out, throwing their weapons at them. Roman grabbed his hat and cane while Ruby rushed over and cradled her baby, Crescent Rose. Roman inspected Melodic Cudgel as he straightened out.

He looked Neo in the eyes. "Is it time?"

She nodded.

That was when the sirens went off.

* * *

**It's go time.**

**Sorry you couldn't get any more of Neo's plan, but I really wanted to get them out of there. There is only so much you can write about tic-tac-toe and sign language learning - especially if you don't actually know sign language!**

**Still, sorry about that. Now, the reason this is so late is because I have spent the last few days working on a new monthly story written in a new style for me that is a HUGE pain to format. Luckily, it will be worth it. Hope you're ready, Homestuck fans, because I'm starting up RWBYSTUCK - a RWBY/Homestuck fusion crossover that has RWBY playing SBURB. Yes, I am Homestuck trash. Deal with it.**

**For those of you who aren't interested in that, all of my other stories will update as normal. Saturday I should be putting up the first chapter of my Dr Who/RWBY crossover which has been a pain to write due to the pacing.**

**For those of you who only read this story and don't care about any of that: Crazy stuff is happening next chapter.**

**So yeah. Looks like Ruby, Roman and Neo are in for a fight. But where's Blanche?  
**

**Next Chapter:**

**Roman is going to have to use his wits to make it out alive. And Cinder is nearly there...**

**Where's Blanche? Will they escape? Will Ruby ever realise her feelings?**

**Find out next time! (maybe)**

**See you dreckly!**


	14. Rejuvenation

**Well, sorry about the hiatus. A whole bunch of stuff came up, and It knocked everything out of wack. I don't know if I can actually do a RWBY:Spidergirl chapter this week, but I'll try again next week.**

**To reward you with your patience, I have written _two_ new chapters rather than one; I felt you guys deserved it. (And it fixes my schedule quite nicely.)**

**Doctor Ruby will update this week, however - I managed a chapter for that one.**

**Thanks for your patience.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**To Steal from the Cookie Jar**

**A Rosewick Story**

**Chapter 13 – Rejuvenation**

/-/

The alarms blared as they sprinted down the corridor, ignoring the guards that Neo had apparently neutralised on her way in. Any second, Adam's men would be upon them like a pack of rats and they would have to be ready.

Roman, of course, steeled himself for the inevitable – he was under no illusion that this would be easy. To his left, Ruby kept a serious expression on her face. He guessed she was thinking along the same lines; she had seemed naïve at first blush, but he had discovered through being stuck with her that she was far more intelligent than most gave her credit for. Crescent Rose sat on her back naturally, like broken china pieced together, and he held Melodic Cudgel in a vice-grip. Neo on his other side carried her umbrella – weapons ready, they braced against the coming tide.

And then the tide broke. As they threw open the outermost door of the building they were in, a wave of White Fang soldiers descended. Roman beat a few back with his cane and let off a few pot-shots in their direction. Ruby unfolded her scythe and leapt into the fray almost gracefully, her semblance turning her into a whirlwind of petal and death and steel. Neo took on five at once, dispatching them not just with ease, but with _each other,_ tricking them into running into each other and swinging round to take out two birds with one stone.

One of the soldiers from before came at him again, bringing a pistol to bear. Roman knocked it out of his hand and jabbed him in the guts. He let off a shot and the man's weak aura broke.

Another couple ran at him, and he parried their katanas. With a flick of his wrist, a firework-flare shot from the end of his cane. It sent the blade of the first flying wildly into the other's, the two growling like animals. He leapt up and dropkicked the two acrobatically, landing on his feet as they flew back into the teeming crowd. A new fighter replaced them, but a strike to the head took him out; this one had no aura.

He saw a shape approaching in his peripheral and realised that someone had managed to catch Ruby out. He stuck his cane out and let her grab onto it, swinging her around and launching her back towards her targets. He gritted his teeth as three more enemies surrounded him. It would be a long fight.

Ruby slammed into her opponent with a swing of her scythe, sending the poor girl flying. She landed onto another fighter's body, stepping down as their aura crackled away. Two down – a thousand to go.

One of the soldiers stepped up to fight, his twin knives glinting menacingly. She parried his blows with a spin, her scythe catching his collar and sending him reeling. She finished off with a sniper shot, watching him go down almost in slow motion.

Five assailants surrounded her, brandishing a range of odd and dangerous weapons. She lifted her scythe and span. Three were knocked back, while the other two jumped forward. She hit one with the back of her scythe, shooting the other.

The three she had taken out got back up. She shifted her scythe into its carbine form and took pot-shots. One of the three swung a wicked cutlass blade down. She blocked it with her weapon, kicking him back into his friend.

The two from before jumped back into the fray. She leapt up with her semblance as the four converged on her, slamming down on the fifth with enough force to break his aura. She launched herself into the centre of the remaining four and pirouetted with her scythe extended. All four of their auras crackled and broke. They all went sprawling.

She dodged another fighter that attacked her from behind, feeling her aura drop as a carving knife glanced off it. This was easier than she had expected.

Meanwhile, Neo backflipped away from her opponent with ease. She noted with glee as she sent one of the soldiers flying that the fighting has brought them closer to their escape. She frowned at what that meant; Adam would be here soon, and she remembered how he had so easily defeated them earlier. Still, the fight was easy enough at the moment. She had spent two whole weeks demoralising the troops and – as evidenced by the soldier she so easily kicked into the dirt – they were fighting with far less efficiency than before. Some had even fled at the sight of her. She felt particularly smug about that.

Another fighter came at her. She spun on her umbrella, kicking him back before teleporting behind him and running him through with her blade. She frowned as she wiped his blood off it; she would have to stop doing that with Ruby around. And she would be sticking around, Neo would make sure of that. She shook her head as she ducked under the arm of another assailant, hooking his leg and bringing him down. The two of them were so oblivious it was just adorable.

She glanced up at the exit towers, seeing Blanche's hunched form on the gate controls. She seemed to be having trouble warding away one of the guards, who insisted on guarding the tower against any threat. Neo hoped that Blanche would figure it out – or they were all doomed.

She teleported behind another fighter and kicked her in the back, sending her sprawling. Neo loved fights like this.

/-/

Blanche glanced at the guard nervously. He stared down at the fight emotionlessly.

She and Neo had planned this all for the day when she manned the door controls, but the moment the alarm went off the man had forced his way onto the tower and just stood there.

Honestly, how hard was it to escape this place?

She followed his gaze to the fight below, momentarily stunned by the fighting skill of her new allies. They were going through hordes of White Fang soldiers like it was easy, gliding across the compound like a knife through butter. What was more, they were almost at the gate – and she had to do something about this guard.

She looked over at him again. "Are you _sure_ you shouldn't help out down there?"

The man gave a disgruntled grunt. "I told you, keeping the prisoners here is our top priority. The tower controls are a strategically important post. Now be quiet, freak – be ready for a fight."

Blanche's blood boiled at his comment. _Oh, she was ready for a fight alright… _She looked down at the fray on the ground and blanched. They were almost at the gate. It was now or never.

She fingered the hilt of her black cutlass, Sable Scourge, and stepped away from the edge. She needed to do this quickly. Luckily, the guard was too focused on the fight to notice her readying her blade. With a strong swing, he was knocked back – hot hard enough to deplete his aura, but far enough for the fall to do the job for her. She peeked over the edge to see him staring up at her in surprise and pain – pain that increased as her mask hit his nose. She smiled from where she had thrown it. That felt good.

Suddenly, gunfire sent her ducking. Some of the ground troops must have seen her betrayal and sent volleys her way, but she was evidently too small a target. She grabbed the controls of the gate and began to meddle, performing the practiced motions to open up the gate. With a great hum and rumble, the giant doors swung open. She grinned and stepped up to the edge, Aura flared.

The battle was fierce below, but everything appeared to be going well; the demoralisation of the troops that she and Neo had caused only exacerbated the poor training of the average White Fang soldier, so things were very one-sided. She watched as her new allies approached the escape, the soldiers unprepared for the loss off the gate.

Wait.

No. No, no, no-

"Neo!"

It was too late; she watched helplessly as Neo was encircled in a lasso rope, sending her sprawling. An electric pulse ran down the rope, shocking Neo and trashing her aura. Neo looked up in surprise and pain, finally noticing what Blanche had seen.

There, handing the lasso lead to a subordinate, stood Adam Taurus.

/-/

Roman saw Neo go down and knocked out the White Fang soldier he was fighting, surging over in a panic. Adam stood over her incapacitated body, smirking. Roman launched himself at the faunus.

Adam unsheathed Wilt and met Roman's cane mid-air. Roman jumped over a swinging kick and sent a flurry of jabs back at Adam. Adam sliced at Roman, but he jumped back. Adam dodged Roman's next swing and ran around him, becoming a smoky shadow.

It was in this state that he was caught out by Ruby, who used her semblance to overtake him and catch him on her scythe. Winded by the blow, Adam caught some fire on his blade and made to give a final swing.

Ruby gasped as her aura shattered, feeling a bead of pain run across her abdomen. She felt for her stomach and found it weeping blood – not as bad as Yang's arm, but she needed to finish this before she bled out. She turned and realised that Roman, though uninjured, had lost most of his aura. There was no way either of them could fight any more.

She could barely hear Adam's laugh over the rushing of blood in her ears – adrenaline notwithstanding, that had _hurt_. She glanced over at Neo.

Neo had a resigned look on her face, but her eyes widened when she saw Ruby. She pointed at Roman and then the gate – which was now wide open. If she went now, she could escape, but… she would have to abandon Neo. There was no way she was getting past Adam in her state.

Roman staggered to his feet, his arms tense and shaking. He looked over at Neo, who nodded in response. Roman seemed about to retort verbally, but he glanced at Ruby and his eyes widened in shock.

Ruby smiled shakily. "Ready?"

Roman did not look ready. "I-"

Too late. Ruby pushed past her aura to launch herself towards Roman, wrapping him up in her arms. A second later, the two were flying out into the wilderness. Ruby carried him as far as he could, but eventually she collapsed. She felt the pain in her stomach building as the adrenaline faded a little. Roman crawled over to her weakly.

"Ruby… you're…" he held a hovered hand over her injury. She sighed, words failing her. Her eyes began to un-focus, exhaustion and blood loss catching up. Her head dropped onto the grass of the forest. She was unconscious.

Roman looked at her injury again. She was going to die. There was no escape from this injury – especially with her using her semblance without aura. He had seen men die from lesser injuries.

But of course, he had seen others survive worse. He felt the last dredge of his aura but up against his semblance. What was going on? A warmth spread to his hands, and he saw a green wave spread across her body from where he was touching. As it covered her face, she seemed to relax. Her chest stopped rising.

He stepped back, realising that her body now glowed a light green. He wasn't sure what he had done, but he hoped that it helped. A wave of exhaustion knocked him to the ground, and he felt the grass tickle the back of his head.

A cold breeze flew over him, and he curled up a little. Something felt wrong – like something was missing. Even so, his exhaustion overpowered that feeling – soon, he was out cold.

/-/

The gate had long since closed when they arrived.

Shrouded in shadow and shadowed by Grimm, the small group of White Fang operatives came to the gate and called to be let in. The gate opened for them to pass.

The base was immediately engulfed in a sudden chill. It was like some mad demon had found its way in, and every man, woman and child felt a cold sweat come over them. Even the assassins, the deadliest of them all, faltered in their step – they knew that something had changed, likely for the worst. Adam put down his maps and started walking, without explanation, towards the courtyard.

The courtyard was still a mess from the fight – buildings were damaged, blood covered the stones from the trampled and all the windows were shattered. Yet, the newcomers did not care. They stepped up onto the rostrum and waited.

Soon enough, Adam arrived. He smiled as he approached, and their leader smiled back. He nodded, and the other operatives dispersed.

Adam smirked. "Glad to see you finally here."

Cinder smiled wickedly back, flames licking at her eyes. "It is good to see you too."

* * *

**Spooky.**

**Again, sorry about the hiatus. But hey, you got a double chapter upload from it!**

**That kind of means that I won't bother with the 'Next Time' jig this chapter - because you are about to read that.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	15. Remission

**What did I say, I told you this would happen!**

**By the way, if you haven't read the previous chapter because you clicked the latest chapter in your inbox, go back now - this is a double upload.**

**For those of you who are still here because you already read the last chapter... that was a doozy, wasn't it?**

**Sorry that this second chapter is so short - I'm still pretty lethargic from finishing that last one.**

**Funny how the chapter I stumbled on was chapter 13. Get it?**

**Whatever. Enjoy!**

* * *

**To Steal from the Cookie Jar**

**A Rosewick Story**

**Chapter 14 – Remission**

/-/

Torchwick groaned loudly as he came to.

His body felt like it had been hit by a freight train – his aura was building again, but it didn't help. He felt hungover, but at least ten times worse. Of course, this did not stop his body from responding from the delicious smells he was getting. He looked up, shielding his throbbing eyes from the sunlight.

There, monitoring a fish on a stick, sat a tired looking but very much _alive_ Ruby Rose. She noticed his movement and smiled shakily in his direction.

"Hey, you're awake."

Roman sat up, ignoring his throbbing brain. "Holy shit, kid, you're alive."

"Yeah… I don't know what you did, but when I woke up the wound was gone." Ruby pointed towards her stomach, where a cut in the fabric revealed a long, dark scar. "It scarred, but… better than being dead, I guess."

"Well if it's any consolation, I don't know what I did either." Roman stood up, brushing off his jacket and adjusting his hat. "I just kind of… touched it, and you started glowing."

"Huh." Ruby looked at the fish she was holding over the fire, lost in thought. Roman began to look around.

"Hey, where are we?"

"Somewhere in the forest, I think. The White Fang city-thing is over there," she nodded into the trees, "and the road is the other way."

"I see." Roman looked in the direction she had nodded. Neo was still there, stuck. They were separated again. "We have to go back."

"Roman-"

"Neo's still in there, Red. I'm not leaving her here."

Ruby let out a quiet sigh as she waved the stick over the flames. Roman looked back at her. "Well?"

"Roman, we should probably get reinforcements-"

"Fuck reinforcements!" Roman gritted his teeth. "We don't have the time-"

"We don't stand a chance-"

"And it's not like your _friends_ are going to-"

"Dammit, Roman!" The yell surprised him into silence. Ruby's eyes were hard and heavy, ringed by circles. "I didn't learn my lesson only to hear you make the same mistake!"

"Well I wouldn't have to do this if you hadn't brought us here in the first place!" Ruby's face fell a little in response to his cry. "Now, everything has gone to shit. I'm not doing this because I want to, I'm doing this because it is the _only thing that can be done_."

"Look at us, Roman." Ruby motioned to her eyes, her torn dress, his mussed hair. "We're not in fighting condition at _all_. It's not the only thing that can be done because _we can't do it._"

"Sure we can!" Roman leaned down and picked up his cane, discarded on the ground. "We fought our way out of there."

"Only because we failed an attack before. Even then, we had two weeks of rest!" Ruby stamped her foot. "There's no way we can do it like this."

"Then what do you think we should do, huh? Lie down, let Neo die?"

"Neo won't die-"

"Of course she will!" Roman glared. "The only reason we survived so long is because Adam wanted to _enjoy_ my death. Neo has no such luxury." He glanced again in the direction of the camp, heart dropping in his chest. "And Cinder'll be there by now… I trust Neo with a lot, I really do, but she can't go up against that. There's no way."

"Then we need help."

"What help?" Roman waved his arms around. "Where do you think we are, Central Vale? We are in the _middle_ of _NOWHERE_. All of your friends are a two-week journey away – too far and too long to save Neo. She'll be dead by then."

Ruby looked down at the ground, eyes hollow. The fight had done a number on her; though she could stand, she was shaky, and the scar still stung a little when she moved. She had a pounding headache, and felt weak. Her clothes were dirty, sweaty, and torn – but what could she do? Roman was right. Mistral was two weeks away – Neo would never survive that long. The only option was to fight.

Which was exactly what Cinder wanted.

Ruby sighed tiredly. Here they were – hurt, missing a member and playing into the hand of the enemy.

And it was all her fault.

Roman took her silence as another denial. "Well if you aren't going to help, I'll do it without you!" He began to storm away.

"Wait, Roman!" Ruby followed him a little, discarding the stick on a clean stone for later. He stopped and turned to look at her, his eyes teary.

Ruby stopped with an exhausted huff. "I'll do it."

Roman tilted his head. "You'll help?"

"Yeah." Ruby stood taller. "I'm not just going to let you kill yourself."

"Great! Then we-"

"On two conditions." Ruby held up a finger.

Roman frowned a little. It was to be expected, though. "Alright, hit me."

Ruby nodded. "One: You need a plan."

Roman scoffed. "Of course I have a plan."

"A _better_ plan. As little risk as possible. You should take some more time on it. Which leads me onto…" she held up a second finger. "Two: We rest for a day before doing anything."

"A day? Why? We barely have any time as it is!"

Ruby gave him a deadpan look. Suddenly, she jumped at him. He fell flat on his back. Ruby straddled him, blushing from the exertion. Yes, that was _definitely_ why she was blushing.

Ruby let out another huff. "See! I'm tiny. If you were good to fight, you wouldn't have budged."

Roman gritted his teeth and pushed, but she wouldn't move. He dropped back to the ground, sighing.

"You're not moving until I agree, are you?" Ruby nodded with a tired smile. "Ugh, fine. You win, I guess – we do it tomorrow."

Ruby got off him and helped him up. He was suddenly aware of how frail the both of them were. Maybe she was right about this one. He straightened out and brushed himself off again.

Ruby grabbed his arm and brought him back to the fire. "Here, I was cooking while you were out. I'm not the best, but I learned a few tricks while I was travelling to Mistral."

Roman nodded, looking at the fish she presented him with. It was cooked, though the eye was strangely disconcerting. It looked big enough to not be a choking hazard, and was a little oily. He took it in his hands, frowning as the oil got on his skin.

Neo would have to wait a little. He simply hoped, as he took a bite out of the fish, that she would be okay.

/-/

Neo screamed silently as the electric whip shocked her sides. She thrashed in the restrains, trying futilely to avoid the pain. Cinder smirked when Neo glared at her.

"So feisty. I see why Roman kept you around." She circled Neo, looking her up and down. "Though, I am a _little_ annoyed that you let them escape."

Neo spat towards her, but the spittle fell short. Cinder shook her head. "How rude." Neo squirmed as Cinder brought the whip back down.

"That's better. Now, as for your punishment… my quarry will probably be on her way now. It's not like her to leave someone to die. Even so, that would keep you alive for much longer." Cinder leaned in, pressing her forehead against Neo's. "The soldiers demand your death, you know; if I don't take you out, they'll do it for me." She laughed, leaning back. "They have arranged a fight between you and I for tomorrow. Any other time, I would be upset at them for assuming my participation, but…" She smirked again. "I've been looking forward to this too much to complain."

Cinder brought the whip down again. Neo winced, flinching. Cinder stopped before it hit, laughing at her expression.

"We don't want you too weak for the fight. You losing too easily would be… boring." Cinder laughed again and swaggered out, slamming the door behind her.

Hidden in the ceiling, Blanche watched with horror.

She was an outcast now – everyone in the compound knew her face. However, she didn't run; she felt an obligation to save Neo for what Neo did for her. Even so, she was wondering if she hadn't made the wrong choice.

One thing was for certain. If Ruby and Roman didn't return…

She would have to intervene.

* * *

**And the update is finally over. Boom.**

**Guess things are coming to a head - only 5 chapters left... 4 technically. Get ready for the crazy to come back, because it is go time.**

**Meanwhile, Neo had better hold on in there a little longer - Roman's on his way!**

**After a little rest, that is.**

**Next Chapter:**

**Looks like trouble's brewing... Will Roman save the day? Will Blanche save Neo? What is Cinder's plan?**

**Find out next time! (Literally, I haven't prepared this one at _all_)**

**See you dreckly!**


	16. Reparation

**Sorry about the late upload, stuff came up (again).**

**On a more positive note, welcome to December! Only a few weeks to Xmas...**

**Anyway - it's time for the next chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**To Steal from the Cookie Jar**

**A Rosewick Story**

**Chapter 15 – Reparation**

/-/

Neo awoke outside.

She wondered for a moment how she had got this way before she realised that her bonds were missing. Her weapon, freshly maintained, sat next to her on the wide stage. The ground was made of broken concrete.

She struggled to her feet. She was suddenly aware of the people surrounding her – maybe hundreds of White Fang soldiers, all standing around the raised platform upon which she stood. If there was any doubt as to what was happening, it was erased as Cinder stepped onto the stage.

"Neo! Glad to see you're awake." Cinder smirked as she held out a palm. A small fire burst forth, drawing the Maiden's giggles. "We were wondering if we'd overdone it."

Neo looked around again. The crowd was too thick to escape from – unless she teleported. She reached out to her semblance and was surprised to find that it wouldn't work. She felt a sharp pain in her arm and looked down to see a metal band around her left wrist.

Cinder laughed. "Yes, your semblance won't be any use to you here. Those bands work like the devices in your cell – they'll block your abilities very effectively."

Neo doubted that Cinder knew sign language, so she opted for a more universal gesture; her middle finger, raised in defiance. Cinder shook her head.

"Silly girl, thinking you could fight me. That didn't work out too well last time, did it?" Cinder laughed again. "Are you ready to die? I really hope you aren't – this fight won't be that challenging otherwise."

Once again, Neo opted for a more universal gesture – she took a combat stance, reached out and waved two fingers, pulling them back towards her. _Bring it._

Cinder shrugged. "It's your funeral, girl. Don't think I'll mourn you." She summoned two glass blades and began to float upwards. "That _is_ Roman's job, after all."

Neo waited a moment. For a second she saw a familiar face in the crowd, watching worriedly. The next, she was launching herself at Cinder.

_Rematch, baby._

/-/

Roman peered over the bush at the closed gates of the White Fang compound. The timing was perfect. Which was also a little worrying.

All of the guards had gone about half an hour earlier, leaving the whole place abandoned. Though this suited them fine, it implied that they all had somewhere to be – and _that_ was a fairly worrying possibility. He steeled himself and motioned forward with his hand.

He and Ruby walked towards the gate. It stood tall and heavy before them, made of thick wood that kept the Grimm out. All he knew about it was that it had a mechanism on one of the neighbouring towers – a mechanism that he couldn't reach.

He had planned to use hi cane to grapple up to the top of the door and then open up the gate for Ruby. Best to save the semblances for the fight itself – they were going to need it. Of course, this went out the window when a head popped over the side.

For a moment he was tempted to run. How had he not seen them when he was staking the place out? Upon a closer inspection however, he recognised the girl. She had been in the vent with Neo when they had spoken before; she was probably on their side. Probably. He noticed Ruby reaching for Crescent Rose and grabbed her hand.

The head disappeared over the edge and he heard a low, clockwork sound. The door began to swing open. He smirked.

It was good to have allies, it really was.

/-/

Neo spat blood on the ground. The fight had dragged on for a few minutes, during which Neo had spent the most of her time getting grazed by Cinder's fire and dodging her blades. Each successive hit had depleted her Aura – her soul was flayed bare, and her body was paying for it. She cradled her burnt arm while blood ran thinly from her nose.

Cinder, of course, was clearly having the time of her life; there was a gleeful quality to the flames as they brushed past Neo's body. Now, any hit could be fatal. And she was outmanoeuvred.

From the flames came Cinder, swords raised. Neo parried with her umbrella. Cinder kicked out. Neo rolled.

Cinder took another few swings, but Neo leapt over them and landed behind her. A shock of pain reminded her of the fire surrounding them. She tasted metal and spat out another glob of blood.

A slash of Cinder's weapons gouged a thin line across be back of her arms, too fast for her to block it. She managed to bring her umbrella up, but it wasn't enough; Cinder kicked it out of her hands and blasted her with fire.

Neo cried out, the exposed skin on her arms blistering. She landed next to her weapon but was barely able to grasp it. Cinder walked over sensually.

"You know, I expected better. You only lasted four and a half minutes." Cinder smirked wryly. "I guess the famous Neopolitan isn't such an artful dodger after all?"

Neo growled, but was unable to muster the energy to move. Her clothes were scorched, and a large amount of her skin was burnt. She let her head drop, looking over the crowd. She saw something in the distance and smiled.

Cinder sighed. "Still nothing? Shame. I was hoping for a challenge." Cinder pulled out a new blade, one made with her maiden powers, and smiled. "I guess I'll just have to enjoy killing you."

Neo watched tiredly as Cinder brought the blade closer.

/-/

Roman led Ruby through the alleys between the makeshift houses of the White Fang. He had barely seen anyone, and that was worrying him greatly. He recalled worriedly what Adam had planned for them before their escape; a public execution at Cinder's hand. Was that what he had forced onto Neo? Was she dying right then, with him too far away and too late?

He recognised of the buildings he walked past. It was some kind of storeroom, with wooden crates. If he was right, this was where they had ended up before they were captured. He ducked into the high doorway, helping Ruby up. He remembered that there had been a view of the courtyard with the large dais – if Neo was to be executed, they would be doing it there.

He blocked off the door with a large crate. The building was mostly stone, so even if Cinder decided to literally smoke them out it wouldn't catch. He headed up the stairs.

Ruby was already there, staring (discreetly this time) out of the window. Roman hurried over and watched.

There, in the centre of the courtyard, Neo was fighting Cinder – and _losing_. He watched as Neo tried to evade Cinder's blows, only to get caught out by the following fire. He gritted his teeth. Why hadn't she teleported out yet?

Ruby leaned forwards, eyes wide.

"Do you see that band on her arm?" At Ruby's behest, Roman looked. Ruby was right; around Neo's left wrist was a thick metal shackle.

"What is it?"

"Atlas technology – I saw it in a magazine a while ago. Next generation of anti-semblance restraints." Ruby stepped back from the window, looking into the crates. "How did they get Atlas technology?"

"How do ya think, kid? They stole it. They're pretty good at that, honestly. I don't suppose you remember my paladin?" He shook his head. "Even then, that's not important. We need to get Neo out of there; we don't know how long-"

He stopped short, his blood running ice cold. A scream had sounded out in the courtyard, and the sounds of conflict had gone silent. The two of them ran over to the broken window.

Neo was on the ground, unmoving. Cinder was talking, but her words were too quiet to hear so far away. Neo's head rolled, settling on the buildings. She seemed to see them.

She smiled.

Roman looked down, then turned to Ruby. "Okay, Red: Here's the plan."

/-/

Neo watched Cinder run her hand along the blade.

"Such a shame that you have to die, but you know what they say…" Cinder brought the blade up high. "The masses must have their bread and circuses!"

Suddenly there was the sound of a distant gunshot. Neo felt the band on her wrist go slack.

She smiled up at Cinder and mouthed, 'bye'.

With a flash, she teleported behind Cinder and struck her from behind. Cinder went down in surprise, and Neo almost followed her; her body began to fail her. Her legs shook.

She was suddenly aware of the crook of a cane swinging towards her. She grabbed onto it for dear life and felt herself be pulled into the air. After a few seconds of acceleration, she felt her body fly through a broken window.

Roman ran over to her suddenly unconscious body as Ruby began shooting down into the crowd. He gulped, willed his aura to bear, and placed his hands on her. He hoped it would work.

Quietly, a green glow suffused her body. He stepped back in quiet worry before rushing to the window. Grabbing a large (non-explosive) crate, he dragged it over to the window to block the gunfire. Soon, the gunfire was muffled – they had sealed themselves in.

The two of them let out a simultaneous sigh, looking over at Neo. Ruby looked between Roman and Neo's body. "Are you sure you don't have a healing semblance?"

"I don't know, maybe. I'm just-" He stopped himself, considering whether to be open with her. A part of him rebelled at the idea of opening up, but it seemed that part wasn't quite strong enough. "I'm just glad she's okay."

Ruby nodded. "Do you think they'll get through the back door?"

He looked over at the door into the room, which they had also boarded up. "Not any time soon. I have plenty of practice barricading things from Vale police run-ins." Roman smiled at the memory, only to scoff at Ruby's disapproving pout. He looked around.

The room was exactly as they had left it – even with the bullet riddled crates. His eyes widened as he looked across the room at something he hadn't expected to see ever again.

"Holy shit, my scroll!" He ran over and booted it up. Sure enough, it ran – though the battery was very low. Seems like switching it off properly had been a good call. The signal was steady, but he didn't have long until the battery would cut out. He quickly opened up the messaging app and got typing. Just as it went through, the screen went off. It was dead.

Ruby looked over in surprise. "What did you do?"

Roman looked up and smirked. "What scrolls are meant for. I sent a message."

"Good." The two gasped at the third voice, stepping away as a heterochomatic faunus jumped down from the ceiling.

Blanche looked Roman in the eyes. "Because you are going to need _lots_ of help."

/-/

Far away, in the depths of Mantle, a boy slept at his desk. Of course, this boy was no ordinary child – he was the ruler of a vast information network, the criminal tzar of Atlas. But for now, he slumbered away. It had been a long night.

He stirred at an odd sound. He blinked his bleary golden eyes open – to see a cobalt pair staring back at him.

"Ah!" He said, odd accent coming through his cry of surprise. He put a hand to his chest in a dramatic flair of shock. "Sapphire, you startled me!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to."

Crimson nodded, letting his breathing settle. He looked over his desk. "Right. Did you want something."

"Not particularly."

"Oh." He inspected the documents for drool – a sure sign of his unconventional sleeping habits. "Why… are you here then?"

She shrugged. "I was just watching."

"Watching?"

"Yes."

Crimson blinked. "You were watching me sleep?"

"Kind of. I do that sometimes."

He nodded slowly. "Riiight. Could you maybe _not_ do that?"

She shrugged again, and the room was silent for a few seconds. "By the way, your scroll buzzed."

"Oh?" He observed the instrument carefully. "Hold on…" He opened the messaging app. "Roman sent me a message!"

Sapphire's eyes widened in surprise. "I thought he was missing."

"He is." Crimson flicked open the scroll, intently inspecting the message.

He sat silently for a few seconds, absorbing the information. A few words and some coordinates, otherwise worthless… He grinned.

Crimson pushed the work off his desk and looked intently at Sapphire. "Get James on the line."

"The General? You know as well as I do that he won't-"

"Sapphire." Crimson tilted his head. "Have I ever misled you?"

Sapphire rubbed her arm. "No, sir."

He smiled. "Then trust me again, and I shall deliver. So! Get me Ironwood – and prepare for takeoff!" He reached down and lifted his cane in excitement. "This is gonna be big."

Sapphire nodded and stepped away dutifully. As he waited for the connection to go through, he looked at the message again with a smile.

"Oh Roman, you always know how to make me smile…"

A set of coordinates, and a few words.

_You, me, and the end of the White Fang. Bring some friends._

Crimson chuckled to himself. Roman never failed to surprise. Just how he liked it.

* * *

**Well... I said this guy'd be important eventually.**

**Still, I'm doing a double upload next week; shit's about to hit the fan like nothing else yet. Even so - it's good to have the band back together.**

**Only 3 chapter left - excluding the epilogue. Thank you all for reading so far!**

**So yeah. Roman, Ruby, Neo and Blanche are trapped. I wonder how long they'll last...**

**Next Chapter:**

**Roman is stuck with the usual suspects in the same place he started this whole mess from. Everything has come full circle.**

**How long will they last? Can Crimson get through to Ironwood? Will they escape?**

**Find out next time! See you dreckly!**


	17. Revolution

**Well, we're almost there. Just a few chapters to go. Two, technically. No double upload, though - things came up.**

**Here, my characters finally get to shine a little - but they aren't allowed to steal the show! That's for their own story.**

**Still, when I started thinking up stories I never really thought I'd get this far. So yay!**

**There will be a special chapter of Xmas Day after the end of the story but before the Epilogue. We're so close now!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**To Steal from the Cookie Jar**

**A Rosewick Story**

**Chapter 16 – Revolution**

/-/

Roman listened as the roof burned.

At first it had worried him – it could have been a potential entrance for Cinder, after all – but as the stone held strong, the sound had become comforting. A reminder of their temporary security.

It couldn't last long.

He got up, stretching. "Anyone for tic-tac-toe?"

Ruby, having played twenty games already, shook her head. Neo, who had woken up a half-hour before, was also uninterested. Blanche scowled.

"So what, we're just going to sit here?" Blanche raised her arms in question. The others in the room shrugged or murmured in response. She crossed her arms, eyebrows furrowing. "We can't stay here forever."

"No, we can't – but we can't really go anywhere either." Roman motioned to each of his allies as he mentioned them. "Neo might have her Aura back, but she's still tired. Ruby is still recovering from, y'know, being sliced across the stomach by Adam fucking Taurus. I haven't come up with a new plan yet. _You_ haven't come up with a plan yet." He shook his head. "We aren't going to do anything yet because there is nothing we _can _do. If we go outside, we're toast."

Blanche let out a long sigh, slumping back into her makeshift seat on a crate. The same argument had come around every half-hour since they had got stuck here, so Roman had gotten pretty good at the delivery. He looked up at the stone ceiling, from which a crackling could be heard.

For all of the problems with the argument, Blanche was right. This wouldn't last forever.

He needed to get planning.

Neo couldn't teleport them out, she was too weak… but she could teleport herself. Maybe she could… teleport out and help them escape! That was it – she would teleport out and create a decoy, make the road clear for the rest of them to rendezvous and escape. He hated the idea of using Neo as bait, but it was the only choice… wasn't it? He looked over to the girl in question, his daughter reclining tiredly on an uncomfortable-looking pile of neutral dust.

"You alright, kid?" Roman said.

Neo looked up. Her clothes had been scorched – while her trousers had survived, the jacket had been too burnt up to wear. With the jacket missing, the new burn-scars on her upper arms were even more apparent. Despite this, Neo had no difficulty lifting her hands to sign.

"_Better than I was. You know, this dust is surprisingly comfortable."_

Roman chuckled, shaking his head. "You just don't stop, do you?"

"_You wish!" _Neo reached up and gave Roman a light-hearted punch. He took it, laughing. She smiled and dropped back to her original position.

Ruby giggled in the corner. "You're so cute."

Neo pouted at Ruby's giggling, looking over at Roman. _"Well isn't __**she**__ cheeky!"_

Ruby's giggling petered out and, to Neo's clear surprise, Ruby lifted her shaky hands. _"That __**is**__ something I have been called, yes."_

Neo looked between Roman and Ruby, surprise clear in her eyes. Quickly, however, a grin grew on her face. She smiled wickedly at Roman.

"No..."

Neo tilted her head cheekily.

"Neo, don't…"

Neo looked over at Ruby, who was (rightfully) nervous.

"Neo!"

Neo flashed him one last grin before she pounced, squeezing Ruby like a bench vice. Releasing her, Neo signed her smarmy blow. _"Thanks for being so considerate __**Mom**__."_

Neo skipped off, leaving Ruby with a perplexed expression. Ruby stared after her for a few seconds before looking back to Roman. "Did she just call me 'Mom'?"

Roman sighed. "It looks like she's adopted you, Red. Don't worry about it. What we need to focus on is how we're getting out of here."

Blanche leapt to her feet, stretching enthusiastically. "Finally!"

"Right. So, there's no way we're getting out of here with those guys in the way." Upon receiving Ruby and Blanche's nods, he continued. "So we need a decoy."

A sigh came from behind him. Roman turned to see his heir-apparent giving a dramatic bow. "_I volunteer."_

Roman nodded, sighing. He walked over and gave her a hug. "I don't want to use you like this, but… I have no choice. You understand that, right? No risky business."

Neo pulled back and nodded solemnly. Roman looked over to the other two people in the room. "Right. We should probably… huh?" Roman stopped as commotion was heard through the walls. Ruby and Blanche looked around in confusion as the sound grew louder.

The White Fang were doing something outside. It sounded like a mass mobilisation – Roman could hear the cried orders of the White Fang leadership. There were screams.

Suddenly, an earth-shattering _kaboom_ shook the whole building. The screams doubled in intensity, followed by barked orders. Roman could barely make out, 'attack!' followed by an equally panicked, 'retreat!' before another boom sounded.

A third came, feeling like it had shocked the whole complex. Roman looked up in mounting suspicion. There was no way… but if anyone could get it done…

With a fourth, loudest crash, the solid stone roof of their sanctuary crumbled like corrugated tin against a steamroller. Roman covered his eyes as rubble came down, only to widen them at what followed.

In the newly-revealed sky, dozens of Atlas airships zoomed past with military gusto – they strafed and dived, sending volleys of dust-rifle fire into the invisible enemy. Blanche leapt out of the dilapidated sanctuary and Neo teleported to follow. Ruby grabbed Roman and the two of them went flying after their retreating allies. They all came to rest on an exposed, tall rooftop, watching as the Atlesian military slowly decimated the White Fang resistance. With a sudden gasp, Roman realised the cause of the explosions – the largest airship he'd ever seen, armed with massive cannons, floated lazily through the sky. It was from this grand weapon that the remaining Atlesian fighters launched themselves from. Roman laughed.

His laugh was immediately drowned out by the whirring of a ship nearby. Feeling the wind on his back, he turned with the rest to see a large red Bullhead lowering itself onto the roof. The door opened, and a boy stepped out.

Crimson smiled as he stepped down onto the concrete. "I heard you needed help, Matchstick."

Roman laughed again, staring in amazement at the buzzing cloud of fighters. "My gods, kid, you've brought the whole of Atlas down on them!"

Crimson chuckled. "Pretty much. By the way, I'm sorry for being late – I had to stop off in Mistral first." He stepped to the side and motioned at the door where a few of his gang stood – the principle members, naturally. They too stood aside, and Roman and Ruby both watched as some familiar faces walked out of the Bullhead.

Yang walked purposefully, looking ready to take the world on. Blake followed confidently, ready to fix her family's legacy. Weiss, the picture of grace, readied her blade.

Ruby ignored her other friends as they climbed out of Crimson's ship, launching herself towards her team at top speed. She slammed into her sister with a vice-grip hug, and her sister returned the gesture with teary eyes.

"Ruby, don't you ever worry me like that again!" Yang sniffed, hugging Ruby even tighter.

Ruby's eyes welled. "N-no promises, sis." They held each other close, unwilling to separate after so long apart. Blake smiled supportively. Weiss rolled her eyes but smiled all the same.

Roman focused on the '& Co' of 'RWBY & Co', waltzing smarmily over to the others.

"Qrow, pipsqueak, other kids!" He heard a gasp of indignation from the pink one, and Ozpin's body-double shook his head. It looked like the old man was in control. "Glad you could make it."

Qrow gritted his teeth in response. Good, get that blood pumping. "If you laid one _finger _on Ruby, I'll-"

"Gut me like a fish, yada yada, whatever." He turned to the blonde kid – he seemed to remember him being team leader or something. "You ready to fight?"

The kid looked back at his team, who nodded back at him. He turned back and nodded tersely in turn. "We're ready."

Roman grinned, finally settling on the youngest looking one. "You're Ozpin, right?"

The boy looked him up and down. "More or less. I am-"

"Look, I don't need specifics. You're Ozpin, so you're in charge – right?" At Ozpin's nod, he continued. "So you're going to make sure that all these kids are good to fight."

"Of course." Ozpin turned to look at the remaining two kids, and Roman followed his gaze. The girl with the ponytail huffed and crossed her arms. The boy with the monkey tail walked over and held out a hand.

"Hey, the name's Sun Wukong. We got off to a bad start before, so I thought I'd re-introduce myself if we're going to work together." At the words, 'work together', the girl's expression soured even more. "She's Ilia, by the way."

Roman scanned the boy. He seemed okay enough. "I'm sure we'll get along fine."

The boy laughed awkwardly. Roman left them to their devices, walking over to Crimson. The faunus gave him a brief hug.

"It's good to see you alive and well, Roman." His odd accent was more prominent in person, sounding distinctly… northern. Roman chuckled.

"It's good to _be_ alive and well, honestly." Crimson laughed at that, but his joviality was cut short by another boom from the big airship's cannons. The boy made a hand motion and two girls left the Bullhead, which promptly took off. It joined the Atlas ships, sending volleys down upon the White Fang compound. The other two girls approached.

"Sapphire, Rouge – you're with me. Lilac will provide air support." The girls nodded and took out their weapons. The others seemed to take this as a signal, all readying for the charge. Neo nodded to Roman, who looked down at Crimson.

"Ready?"

Crimson nodded. "Ready."

Roman nodded in turn to Ruby, who took a commanding stance. She breathed in deeply, readying her call.

"Charge!"

All at once, Fifteen kids, two adults and a disembodied headmaster leapt down into the chaos below.

* * *

**And here. We. Go.**

**Guess it's Atlas-to-the-Rescue! on the menu tonight, which is good because Roman and Ruby are _starving_. Also, Neo finally officially-unoffically adopts Ruby. Long time coming, that.**

**And the gang is back together again! And a good thing it is, too - they had only just re-formed as well before Rubes was so terribly ripped from their grasp.**

**Now they are getting ready to end the White Fang once and for all! I wonder who'll take out Adam...**

**Next Chapter:  
The shit that hit the fan just rebound onto the one who threw it. It's time to end this.**

**Can they stop the White Fang? Will they survive the fire-fight? Will Ruby finally realise her love for Roman?**

**Find out next time. See you dreckly!**


	18. Retribution

**Hey guys!**

**This is the double upload I promised. This is when everything comes to a head.**

**This is the end.**

**This chapter is going to be the longest, and was the most difficult to write in the whole story – but I got it done (and on time, no less! Am I really Xadi or what?) and now you get to enjoy it. So without further ado…**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**To Steal from the Cookie Jar**

**A Rosewick Story**

**Chapter 17 – Retribution**

/-/

The battlefield was filled with White Fang soldiers fighting fiercely against Atlas robots. Roman ducked and weaved between the clashing parties, following his allies into the heart of the fight.

The acrid smell of smoke fought its way into his nostrils, every cannon shot followed by a great crash as burning houses collapsed. The White Fang were losing on the whole, but that wasn't important – what was important was bringing the ringleaders down.

Suddenly, a group of faunus soldiers blocked their advance, led by a blue haired rabbit commander. He lifted a rapier menacingly, his face calm and dangerous.

"Stand down, and we will not harm you."

Roman smirked mirthlessly. "And what, your boss won't?"

"I didn't say that." He entered a guard position, shifting his weight slightly. Before Roman could respond further, Oz-boy stepped forward and matched him.

"It appears _we_ shall be your opponents today."

The faunus fencer smirked. "Then it will be a fruitful bout."

With that, the two went into intense combat, lunges and ripostes interspersed with parries. The other members of the faunus squad tried to engage, but Qrow and Ilia took them on. Blanche, unwilling to leave Ilia fighting on her own, joined the fray. Crimson pulled Roman back and scanned the area.

After a second, he turned to the Jaune. "We can't get past like this. Jaune, take your team and clear the way. We'll follow soon." Jaune nodded with a look of surprise. Roman suddenly realised that Crimson surely had addressed the boy by a name he shouldn't know yet – a thing the young information broker was prone to do. Crimson looked around again, sighing.

"It appears that Team RWBY have disappeared." He stepped away from Roman, readying his cane. "Good luck, Roman."

"You too, kid."

The boy nodded, suddenly glancing behind him. "Thank you. Though looks like you'll need it more than I."

Roman turned, following his gaze. There, standing behind him with flaming hands, was Cinder Fall. He was aware of Crimson quietly disappearing into the fight.

Roman smirked back at her. "You know, we've really got to stop meeting like this."

Cinder snarled. She leapt forward with an enraged shriek, her glowing hot blades clashing against his cane. It was on.

She sent a succession of strikes which he parried with his cane. He lunged, but she ducked back, catching his extended arm with a blade. She followed with a blast of elemental fire, but he was ready; he jumped away just in time for the intense flame to singe his jacket sleeve.

He sent some blows back as she recovered, attempting to bludgeon his way through her blades. She blocked each one but he could see cracks forming in her weapons. The lava sword shattered, replaced instantly by a glass one. The blade was now in his guard, and he took a powerful hit to the chest. He could feel his aura throb as he landed on his feet.

Cinder raised her hand to send out more of her power, but a curved blade suddenly launched her back. Roman looked up to see Ruby settle her weapon in her hands, landing gracefully at his side.

Cinder screamed with fury, lunging towards them both. Ruby span her blade, blocking all but one of Cinder's hits. The one that landed, however took a chunk of her aura with it. She fired a rifle shot point-blank into Cinder's chest, and the Maiden flew back, aura shimmering but not cracking.

Roman gritted his teeth. It was time to end this.

/-/

Blake followed her team as they jumped down from the roof. All around, her former allies fought her new 'friends', attacking the Atlas droids with apparent yet failing gusto. She watched Roman closely, but he and some of the others disappeared into the crowd. Soon, it was just her and her team. Eventually, even they disappeared, leaving her running blind.

She stopped for a second, catching her breath and scanning the battlefield. Behind her, she could see Team JNPR and Roman's friends taking on some White Fang soldiers. Qrow and some others were fighting a high level squad, with Ozpin fencing with a familiar rabbit faunus.

A dark chuckle came from her left. "I suppose you recognise Cobalt. Or have you betrayed us so far that you don't remember your old friends?" She turned. There, one hand on his blade, stood the one person she had hoped to avoid in the fight.

"Adam!"

Adam chuckled again at her fear, a manipulative smirk gracing his lips. "Good to see you still remember us after you so selfishly ran away."

Blake readied Gambol Shroud, her hands shaking a little. "I didn't run away – you drove me away!"

He frowned. "Whatever helps you sleep at night." He moved with frightening speed, arriving before her with his blade drawn. It had taken every ounce of her reaction speed to block the blow, leaving her unprepared for the next. It sent her sprawling, her weapon spiralling away.

Adam stood over her, victorious. "See what I mean, Blake? You're weak. You abandoned us when we needed you!"

"You became a monster!"

"No! No, Blake. _Humanity_ is the monster. People like Ironwood, or Schnee – they just feed the system that keeps us oppressed. The system _you_ are _supporting_!" He lowered his blade to her neck. "We'd take you back, you know. We all would. You just need to denounce the filthy… _humans _you're pretending to like and you'd be accepted back into the fold. That's all it would take."

She looked up at him, eyes glittering with tears. The blade pressed harder into her neck, her aura. She'd barely had time to activate it. He gritted his teeth, twisting his sword against her neck to drive the point home.

Suddenly, he was knocked off her. She gasped, suddenly able to breathe, as he landed a few feet away. He looked up, eyes hardening behind the mask.

There, feigning disinterest and looking at the non-existent nails on her right hand, stood Yang.

"Hey there," she said carelessly. "Adam, right? Big fan. _Especially_ when you cut my arm off and traumatised my partner." She brought her fists down, the gauntlet and prosthetic clicking open. "Gotta give you a _hand_ for that one."

Blake was surrounded by white glyphs as Weiss landed next to her, helping her up. She was carrying Gambol Shroud around her waist, sitting next to Myrtenaster on her body. Weiss winced as the shields took rifle-fire, wearing down slowly. She turned to Blake.

"We'll stay here until you've got your bearings."

Blake stared as Weiss pushed Gambol Shroud into her hands. "Where's Ruby?"

"Went off to help the others." She shrugged, smiling weakly. "Honestly, we could have used her here."

Blake nodded, breathing deeply. She knew that fighting Adam alone would have been impossible, but with the others there… there was a chance.

She watched as Yang took a wider stance and rushed Adam, laying into him with her fists.

He took only a few before disengaging, jumping back and blocking the remainder with his sword. Yang switched tactics, leaping into the air and kicking him. He was sent flying back but did a backflip as he flew and landed on his feet. Yang growled, hair igniting.

She launched at him again, blocking his hits with her gauntlets as she tried for pot-shots at his chest. He suddenly disappeared in a blur, speeding around her as a shadow. Yang reached out and clotheslined him, grinning victoriously.

"Oh please," she said. "I spar with my sister all the time, and in comparison? You ain't fast enough for me."

Adam got to his feet, teeth grinding audibly. "God Dammit!" He sheathed Wilt, standing still for a moment. Blake only realised what he was doing when it was too late.

For a moment, time slowed. It was like Blake could see in slow motion as Adam brought Wilt to bear, his semblance supercharged more than it ever had been before by Yang's aura-enhanced hits. The world turned red and black as a colossal wave of energy sprung from the sword, bathing the battlefield in sanguineous light. Blake was too late to save Yang, too slow.

Weiss _wasn't_. A strong white glyph materialised before Yang's entire body, tanking the hit as it turned to pure ice. Adam looked up in shock as the remains of the ice-wall shattered, revealing Yang unharmed… and Weiss Schnee victorious.

He looked at her in apparent surprise, as if he had only just realised that Weiss was there. Blake got up behind them, Gambol Shroud strong in her grip. He sighed, shaking his head. "When will you girls learn to do as you are _told_."

He reached up… and took off his mask.

Blake winced at his scarred eye, SDC emblazoned across his face. Yang blinked in surprise. Weiss stared in shock at the letters, painful to believe and yet impossible to deny.

Adam readied himself again, good eye trained on Weiss. "Now you see, girl. This is your legacy. _You_ did this." With that, he lunged.

And Weiss didn't move fast enough.

/-/

Roman dodged another hair-singing blast of elemental energy as he rolled across the ground, lifting his cane and firing a flare at his enemy. She caught it, redirecting the shot towards Neo.

Neo had just joined the fight, hopping over from where she had gotten caught up with the White Fang. She jumped over the shot, rushing the one-eyed madwoman and thrusting her blade into Cinder's face. Cinder leaned back, parrying with her own glass weapons. A blast of air sent her flipping back towards Ruby, who began to send rifle-fire into the shockwave. Cinder blocked them with clods of earth, the spent cartridges dropping to the ground.

Roman ran towards her, getting in a good bludgeon strike before he was forced back by the intense wind. Cinder dropped the air barrier, sending needle-like leaves hailing down upon him. Neo leapt between them, opening up the umbrella to protect them both.

When the barrage was over, Neo rushed Cinder again. She held out her blade, dodging the bursts of fire that Cinder conjured and sent her way. With a strong leap, she thrust the blade into Cinder's aura with all of her strength and weight (which, admittedly, were not all that great). Cinder tanked the hit, grunting as her aura flickered again. She _had_ to be close! Neo was suddenly lifted higher by a rush of wind, throwing her far into the battlefield. Roman could spare her no worry; she would survive the fall. He had more pressing things to worry about.

Ruby stopped firing at Cinder and sped forward with her semblance, swinging Crescent Rose into Cinder's side. Cinder winced, flying to the side from the momentum. Ruby's scythe clashed with Cinder's blades. The lava swords cut deep gouges into the silver steel, melting through it as much as they cut. Ruby winced, retreating a distance and shooting at her with the carbine sniper rifle. Cinder blocked most of the shots with her weapons, but the rest hit soundly.

Ruby flew forwards with renewed determination, spinning with her weapon like a spinning top. It came close to Cinder, but she did a backflip and summoned an ice-spire where she had stood. The scythe hit the column of ice with a resounding crack, redirecting her momentum and shattering the spire. Ruby cried out as she was launched into the horde of White Fang soldiers.

Cinder's aura flickered but did not give out the tell-tale crackle of it breaking. She had to be in the red by now, anything else was impossible. She snarled, readying her lava blades for combat.

Roman lifted his cane, aware of his own aura running out. He let out a breath and charged.

/-/

Weiss stared in shock and mounting horror at Adam's scarred eye. His face was a terrible sight to behold, his left eye discoloured from whatever brand had caused it. This, however, was not the hardest part to accept.

There, across his left eye, the word 'SDC' burned itself into her retinas. It was a familiar logo – not one the company used publicly, but rather as a theft prevention method. A brand was used to burn the logo into the handles of tools to stop people from stealing them.

It appeared that somebody had decided that Adam was their tool as well.

Adam shifted, his good eye trained on her. "Now you see, girl. This is your legacy. _You_ did this."

The words cut deep. Was this what her father endorsed? She felt sick, her stomach turning in an odd mix of disgust and tired resignation. She's known that her father and his policies were bad, but… not this. Not like this.

As she stared into his destroyed eye, she realised that she couldn't move. It was like the gods themselves had grabbed her and held her down in one place. Time seemed to slow as she stared into his eye, entranced.

So entranced that she barely noticed Adam lunging towards her, blade in hand.

The first suggestion that something had changed was the feeling of cobbles on her back. Her head swam, coming back to reality as a black shape moved above her. Somebody had saved her. Who? She focused, sound coming back to her as the hypnotic power of Adam's eye abated. There, protecting her with swords raised, stood Blake.

Weiss frowned. Blake shouldn't have to fight him after what he did. She should be fighting too! But when she tried to get up, her stomach heaved again. She realised she was still delirious, her mind rebelling at the thought what she had seen. Her aura had also taken quite the hit – it was still up, but she was a little aura drunk.

Her stomach heaved again. Okay, _very_ aura drunk.

She felt Yang drag her away from the fight and summoned glyphs around them. They sat there, breathing abating as they recovered their aura. They both used an aura-booster that Crimson had gifted them, feeling their strength returning. Yang's aura was almost broken, and she slumped against the glyphs as she wavered in and out of consciousness. Weiss gathered her strength and looked up.

Blake was fighting Adam fiercely, the two jumping across the battlefield and shooting at the other. Their weapons met again and again as they clashed, sparks flying from their blades.

Blake ducked under Adam's next thrust, kicking out with her legs. She caught Adam off guard, but he sent a few shots into her chest. Her aura flickered, crippled by the attack.

Tears in her eyes, she thrust forward with Gambol Shroud. Adam didn't dodge, grasping the blade and guiding it into Blush. He turned slightly, and Weiss heard a crack. Blake managed to pull the sword out, but it was no use – with one hit from Wilt, the blade shattered before their eyes.

Adam sighed as he kicked Blake over to the pile of bodies, breaking the glyphs on contact. Blake landed on top of Yang, the latter grunting from the force.

"I told you that you'd lose," he said, sheathing Wilt. Before he could finish, however, Ruby suddenly appeared.

She fell amongst them, rolling back up to her feet. She looked around briefly, taking in the pile of her friends and Adam standing victorious, before shifting her weapon to carbine mode. She took two shots, Adam catching both. She lunged forward and span with her scythe, pushing Adam back as he parried the heavy blade.

Weiss struggled to her feet, feeling her strength returning. Ruby continued to hack away at Adam, each his drawing his aura a little lower. Adam tried to turn into a blur like he had with Yang, but Ruby simply matched his speed. Adam managed to jump to distance, sheathe Wilt and charge up his attack. Ruby lifted her scythe to block the shockwave.

The red wave hit her scythe exactly, not breaking her aura. The force, however, carried through; Ruby went flying, disappearing into the chaotic crowd. Weiss raised her rapier and stood tall. She had to hold him off long enough for Blake and Yang to get back up.

Weiss lunged, bringing out her blade to strike him. He parried with his own, retreating a step. He attepted a riposte, but it failed as she blocked it. He growled, eyes narrowing.

"You Schnees… you've done nothing but hurt! Look what you've done to me – to _them_!" He motioned to the combat around them. "Aren't you _ashamed_? Are you not _guilty_?"

Weiss felt a pang of guilt strike her heart but gritted her teeth to bury it. She could feel bad about herself later – she had to help her friends. Getting distracted was what had caught her out in the first place. She quickly summoned a small swarm of lancers – she had been practicing. While Adam struggled with them, Weiss risked a glance behind her.

Yang was awake again, and slowly climbing to her feet. She was helping Blake up, who was putting away her spare aura booster. Yang had found Gambol Shroud's gun and was pressing it into Blake's hand. Blake nodded at her, looking over at Weiss and smiling. Suddenly, her expression turned fearful.

Weiss barely blocked Adam's sword blow, Blake's expression warning her just in time. His eyes were hateful as he started to push Weiss back.

Blake shot at him from behind her. Adam barely had time to react when Yang appeared behind him, fist raised. Weiss summoned a glyph beneath his feet, launching him into the punch as Blake's dust-shots peppered his aura. Weiss followed up with a slash of her weapon's dust cartridges. Yang pushed Adam into the wall of flame, firing one last shot. Finally, Adam's aura crackled as he fell. The battlefield was quiet.

Sure, the fighting had not stopped; but it seemed inconsequential as the three girls approached his body. He was dead. One of their shots had landed after his aura hit, blowing open the back his skull. Adam Taurus was no more.

Blake began to cry, leaning on Yang for support. It soon became a mutual hug, the two falling to their knees in each other's arms. Weiss knelt next to Adam and closed his eyes, a finger lingering on the still warm scar over his right.

He hadn't deserved this. None of them had. And Weiss would make sure it never happened again.

/-/

Roman winced as his aura crackled, breaking. He ducked under a swing of one of Cinder's weapons, blocking the other with his cane. He disengaged, surveying his options.

Cinder had to be close, but Roman was done; a well-placed hit now would take him down _permanently_. He let out a terse breath, looking around. Everybody else was busy fighting. He was alone.

Cinder launched herself towards him, thrusting her blades forwards. Roman knocked them upwards, slamming his cane into her chest. She responded with a shockwave to the face, launching him across the field. He crashed into the ground, groaning with pain.

Cinder walked up to him, aura finally breaking – just too late for him to beat her. She lifted a lava sword up to his chin, smiling evilly.

"I see you finally get it, Roman." Her eyes hardened. "Nobody crosses _me_ and lives to tell of it. No-one." She lifted the blade above her head, a mad grin on her face.

Suddenly, a shock of silver steel appeared behind her, swinging through her body. Time slowed, Cinder realising far too late what was happening. Her expression contorted as she tried to evade the scythe, but she was too slow.

With the supersonic speed of Ruby Rose's semblance, the blade went cleanly through Cinder's neck. The head separated from the body, flying several feet before landing on the cobble with a meaty thump. The body fell, revealing Ruby Rose behind it.

She was breathing heavily, refusing to look at her kill. Roman realised it was probably the first time she had killed somebody. Ruby collapsed her scythe and ran into his arms, sobbing quietly.

They sat there for a minute, rocking slowly as Ruby's tears subsided. Soon, she looked up at him with red, weary eyes.

He smiled weakly. "You look like you've had a rough day, Red."

Ruby sniffed. "W-well, I w-was thrown like a r-ragdoll." She sniffed again, before smiling back at him. "Twice."

Roman laughed, and Ruby joined in, enjoying each other's presence. Soon, however, Roman stood up. Ruby helped him up, looking at Cinder's body. Its grimm arm was deteriorating, turning to dust as they watched.

"Ruby," he said slowly, "Why did you save me?"

She stared at him in surprise. "What?"

"Why did you save me? You didn't have to. I mean, think about it: if I were you, I wouldn't have."  
"Why?"

"Well, y'know… I'm your enemy." He shrugged. "I mean, if she killed me and then you caught her, it's two birds with one stone, right? I don't get it."

Ruby sagged a little. This strange, conflicted expression graced her face before it was replaced with something resembling resolve. She squared up to him.

"You are _not _my enemy, Roman."

Roman frowned. "What do you mean? I used to be on Cinder's side!"

"Things change!"

"Oh really? How so?"

Ruby stared at him. Then, she let out a growl of frustration. She grabbed him violently by the collar and kissed him on the lips.

* * *

**Ooh la lah. Love is in the air!**

**Roman is a lucky man.**

**Anyway, this is going to be a pretty sparse end notes because this is a double-upload, sooo… yeah.**

**See you on the other page!**


	19. Resolution

**Woohoo! I told you I'd be here. For those just now joining us, this is a double-upload – so go back to the last chapter to check that you've read that one.**

**Now that all of those guys have gone, I can square with you.**

**This is it. The last chapter (barring the epilogue and xmas special). It's been a ride, folks.**

**Without unnecessary ado…**

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

**To Steal from the Cookie Jar**

**A Rosewick Story**

**Chapter 18 – Resolution**

/-/

Roman's world slowed. Of all the things he had expected, this was not one of them. Ruby's lips were soft and warm, and he found himself leaning into her as she wrapped an arm around his back. A part of him warned that she was too young for him, that it was too dangerous to be near her and her friends, but he inwardly told that little voice to go fuck itself. Ruby wanted him – and he wouldn't disappoint.

Ruby pulled a little closer before the two came apart again. She smiled, licking her lips. "Like that."

Roman was still stunned. He stared into her pretty silver eyes in confusion and awe. "Oh."

She giggled. "Is that all you can say?"

Roman tried to get his bearings. "You- your too young-"

"I'm legal."

"And I'm twenty-five!"

"I don't care."

Roman huffed, looking around. The fight, which the two had somehow forgotten, seemed to be wrapping up. Atlas robots were rounding up the White Fang, with the only audible gunshots being sparse and far-off. He looked back at Ruby.

She kissed him again, this time shorter and sweeter. "We'll figure it out, Roman. We're okay."

Roman let out a sigh. His mind rebelled, but his heart knew what it wanted. "Okay. I don't like it, but… I'll try."

Ruby smiled and hugged him closer. By the time the two had separated, Roman spotted Yang approaching with a stormy expression. Ruby stepped away from him, but it was clear that Yang had seen them kiss.

"Crap." Roman braced for impact.

Yang stormed up and slammed a fist into his face. He stumbled backwards a few paces, cradling his face. She scowled, her eyes glowing. "You stay away from my sister you _creep_!"

"Yang!" Ruby admonished, taking her sister aside. They talked quietly, Yang glancing occasionally at Roman in suspicion and mounting surprise. Half a minute later, she stalked back over to him. He flinched, but she didn't hit him this time.

She glared up at him, a finger raised. "You hurt my sister, you're dead, got it?" It was more of an instruction that a question, but he nodded anyway. Yang huffed and stormed away to comfort Blake. Roman looked over at Ruby, rubbing his bruised face.

"I expected that to go a lot worse."

Ruby smiled a little. "My whole family are huntsmen and huntresses. Age gaps aren't as much of an issue for us." She motioned over to where Qrow was talking to some Atlas official – one that looked eerily like an older Weiss. "Honestly, it's less your age they're worried about and more your criminal record."

"Right." Roman shook his head. He'd spent so long on the streets that he'd forgotten how weird huntsmen families were. He wasn't complaining, though. He noticed Jaune walking up to the both of them.

The blonde boy stopped in front of both of them, looking between them both. A second later he turned to Ruby.

"You sure about him?"

Ruby nodded in response. Jaune looked at the both of them before smiling.

"I guess a lot happened over the past two weeks, right? Well, if that's your decision… then know that Team JNR is with you." He motioned behind him, where Ren and Nora stood. The latter was waving frantically, standing on the former's head.

Roman looked back towards Jaune with a confused expression. "You're not angry or something?"

Jaune grimaced and shook his head. "I may not trust you, but… I trust Ruby. And that's enough for me." He turned around and walked away – perhaps to avoid saying anything stupid. Roman looked at Ruby again, her silver eyes sparkling with happy tears. He smiled.

He turned around and had only a second to see the fist coming his way before it hit his face. As he stumbled back, Qrow Branwen shook his hand out.

"Qrow!" Ruby was about to shout at him when he held up a hand.

"Yang already told me, kid," said Qrow. "I just wanted to get a punch in before it would be impolite."

Roman laughed while Ruby pouted. He rubbed his face to alleviate the pain of being punched twice, looking over to see General Ironwood walking up to them all.

Roman rolled his eyes. "I sure am popular today." The General walked up calmly before taking out a gun and pointing it at Roman's head.

"Roman Torchwick," said Ironwood, "you are under arrest."

Roman sighed. He had known that this would happen. Ruby stood in between them, eyes glistening again.

"You can't! I-"

"I'm sorry, Miss Rose, but this isn't optional." He adjusted his grip. "I don't know what relationship you have with him, but Mr Torchwick is an enemy of the state."

Ruby looked like she was going to argue further, but Roman raised his hands in surrender.

"It's fine, Ruby. This was always going to happen."

Ruby was crying properly now. "But- we just- and I-"

"Shhh." Roman smiled. "I was fun, Red, but I've got a date with destiny. And by destiny, I mean the law."

Ruby, wiping away her tears, reluctantly stepped aside. General Ironwood took out some handcuffs.

"Actually," said a familiar voice, "I beg to differ."

They all looked up to see Crimson waltzing up to the group. Ironwood frowned.

"What do you want, Crimson? I know he's your friend, but…" the General motioned around them.

"Well, I don't think he's committed any crimes."

Ironwood's mouth gaped in confusion. "What do you mean? We have tons of evidence!"

"Correction: you _had _tons of evidence." Crimson raised a finger. "All stored on the Vale CCT Tower in Vale, right James? Which fell during, well, the Fall." He pointed to Roman. "Officially, you have no warrant or mandate to arrest this man."

Ironwood stared in surprise before sighing. "And I suppose you made sure that nothing was left on our systems either."

"Oh, James, you wound me! I would never do such a thing. No, I got somebody else to do it for me." Crimson smiled. "Roman Torchwick is a free man."

Ironwood grimaced, turning back to Roman. "Don't think this means I'm letting you go! I'll be watching." With that, the man stomped away with an odd metallic clang. Perhaps the rumors about his cybernetics _were_ true. Roman turned to Crimson.

Crimson smiled back. "Roman." He looked at Ruby. "Miss Rose." He looked back. "Don't get into too much trouble. I won't be able to pull this off again."

"Actually," said Roman, "I think I might go legit this time."

Crimson smiled proudly. "Somehow, I thought you would. Good luck you two." He walked away, leaning slightly on his cane. Roman found himself alone with Ruby again. She decided it was a good moment to kiss him again.

"Well I'm glad to see you two are getting along."

Ruby and Roman jumped as the voice, turning to see Oz-boy standing there, resting on his cane. A sly smile graced his lips.

"Professor Ozpin!" Ruby blushed while Roman laughed. The old-man-turned-boy smiled at her embarrassment.

"Ah, young love. How long it has been since I have seen it so potent." He looked towards Roman. "Would it be too presumptuous to assume you will be joining us in Atlas?"

Roman stopped. His mind told him that it was stupid, that it was suicidal – that Salem would be way harder to beat than Cinder had been. It reminded him of how Neo was still so young, how risky it would be. But he suspected that Neo wouldn't want to let Ruby go without them – and he was certain that he couldn't stomach it either. "Sure."

"Good to hear. I suppose it is lucky that we have James' fleet here. We brought all of your things with us, so there is no need to backtrack to Mistral. Be ready to go soon." Ruby and Roman nodded, and Ozpin walked calmly away.

Roman felt like something was missing. He wracked his brains in thought. Suddenly it hit him. "Neo!"

He felt a finger tap him on the shoulder and he turned to see Neo standing there, smirking cheekily. She looked from one to the other, smirk growing.

"_You kissed yet?"_

Ruby blushed again. Roman leaned down and kissed her. Neo nodded with a smile and skipped off to… do whatever it is she did in her free time. Annoy Blanche, probably.

"So _that's _what you meant when you said she 'adopted' me."

Roman nodded. "Like I said, you get used to it." He looked over to Ruby. "You ready to go?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Just one thing." She kissed him hard again, then looked him in the eyes. "What exactly are we?"

"Oh." He looked back at her as he thought. "Whatever you want, I guess. I'll go at your pace."

She smiled. "Boyfriend and girlfriend it is then."

He chuckled. "Sounds good to me, Red."

They both looked over at the others, who were getting treatment for their injuries. Roman looked at Ruby one last time before they started to walk over. It had been a long road, but Roman was finally in a place where he was happy. It had been an arduous journey, but even through all of the near-deaths and the risk-takes…

He'd survived.

* * *

**Bada bing, bada boom. We got through this.**

**That was the last proper chapter. Please, tell me what you thought in the reviews, I love the feedback. Else, you can expect the Xmas special on the 25****th**** and the Epilogue on next Thursday.**

**Over the course of writing this, I've been increasingly worried about the reception of this due to the age difference in the characters. Some of this worry had abated, however, when I realised a few things:**

**One – the fandom doesn't seem to have trouble shipping Ruby with people older that her even when she's underage (which she isn't here), so it doesn't seem like that much of an issue with you guys.**

**Two – One of the most popular RWBY fanfics I can think of, **_**Professor Arc**_**, ships Glynda and Jaune – which I'm pretty sure is a larger age difference than in this fic.**

**Three – I realised that Huntsman probably don't view the issue in the same way. I ran some calculations on it, even. If we make the (I think reasonable) assumption that each huntsman academy year contains 20-40 people accounting for differences in class sizes in each school, and taking the average age of death for a huntsman to be 45 (Qrow being around 40 by my calculations and yet Ruby calling him an 'old man') which make sense because huntsmen would die earlier than the average due to their dangerous job, we can calculate that huntsmen operate on average for 24 years and therefore there are 480-960 huntsmen available in any given area (1920-3840 Remnant-wide in total). Assuming that 1/24****th**** of the people are in your year, this results in a 96% chance that a huntsman you meet at random being not your age and a 67% chance that they are more than 4 years older or younger than you. Therefore, a huntsman/huntress who A – wants to get with a huntsman/huntress, B – isn't dating within their team, and C – hasn't dated during their education is fairly likely to end up with somebody significantly older than them. This would mean that huntsmen would have a different view of age differences in relationships than regular folk.**

**Okay, that was a bit of a rant, but I got my point across. Still, no Next Time today; the story is over, baby! I hope you enjoyed, and please consider reading some of my other works if they interest you.**

**See you dreckly!**


	20. Epilogue

**Sup!**

**Sorry for the hiatus, Xmas got in the way. Also, my nice laptop with all of my files broke, so I write this from my inferior, 2011 iMac. Let's hope that gets fixed quickly, huh?**

**This means a few things. It means the other stories I'm writing will be on hiatus until I can get that thing fixed, so there'll be a lull in activity from me for possibly a few weeks. During that time, I'll try to do a few things, sort out some extraneous stuff and plan a few stories. Use the break from this to my advantage. Keep up with my Tumblr and Twitter (XaosDiscordial) for details if you're interested. I'll be excited to finally have a chance to build up followers on those platforms too.**

**Also, since it'll be so far from Xmas when I get my computer fixed, I'll be cancelling the Xmas Chapter for this story. I've already started the one for Doctor Ruby, so that'll come out (albeit late) but this story will have to wait a year for that. Think of it as a thought exercise, to see how much I improve in a year from now.**

**What a way to enter the new decade, huh? On a mildly related note, I was watching Jools Holland's Hootenanny (a new year celebration program for those who don't know) and Rick Astley came on. RICK ASTLEY. And what did he do, except sing **_**Never Gonna Give You Up**_**. Do you understand that? Jools Holland just achieved the greatest rickroll in history (That I know of). He rickrolled millions of people on live TV. How cool is that!**

**Anyway, enough blathering – without further ado, enjoy: The Epilogue of To Steal From The Cookie Jar.**

* * *

**To Steal from the Cookie Jar**

**A Rosewick Story**

**Chapter 19 – Epilogue**

/-/

Roman Torchwick's cane clacked on the stones of the dark castle. He whistled as he walked, humming a tune Ruby had sung to him once when a little too tipsy. It reminded him of her. He could imagine with vivid clarity the blush that would form on her face when reminded of her awful yet adorable singing. It had been so long since they had finally taken out Cinder, but she never ceased to entertain.

He stopped in front of a pair of large double doors. It was time.

With a single hand, he pushed them open. Beyond, he could see a large table that filled the room. Even further, an ostentatious throne faced the door. And there, upon that throne, sat his prize.

He smirked. Once upon a time, he would never have dared be anywhere _near_ this woman. Now, he felt as though not even the Gods could stop him.

Salem frowned at his entry. "Who are you?"

"The name's Torchwick. Roman Torchwick." He leaned on his cane as he tipped his hat in her direction mockingly.

"I… see. I seem to remember Cinder mentioning you once – aren't you supposed to be dead?"

Roman nodded. "Well, you'll be surprised how comfortable Grimm guts are." He grimaced, recalling the memory. "Actually, scratch that: they're awful. But, then again, I did make old Cindy pay for that one, eh?"

Salem's eyes narrowed. "So it was you who killed my maiden."

"Well, yes and no." He shrugged. "It wasn't just me, but I _was_ pretty heavily involved."

Salem gritted her teeth. Roman grinned back. She looked away, down at the ink pools. "What is your business here, criminal?"

Roman laughed. "That's what you'll call me? _Criminal? _I'll have you know I was exonerated, by decree of the Atlas Military."

"Well, I suppose killing a maiden would warrant some reward. Still, what are you here for? By Cinder's descriptions, you didn't strike me as somebody to act so foolishly."

"Well, the fact that I killed her should be pretty clear that she didn't really know me very well, huh?" He chuckled to himself. "Yeah, but you're right. I ain't usually one to take risks. But that ain't the point right now, so we'll get back to that later."

Salem sighed, closing her eyes. "Alright then, lets make this easier." She waved her hand and the table flew to the side of the room. The doors slammed shut behind him. When her eyes opened, they were glowing a little. "What are you here for, boy?"

Roman rolled his eyes. "I guess compared to you, any man is a 'boy'. Whatever." He looked to the side. "I'm here to watch you lose."

Right on that cue, a massive explosion rocked the castle. Salem gasped at the noise, staring out of the window at where Roman assumed the smoke was rising from. Her eyes shot back to him, glowering. "What have you done?"

"Win." He smiled as another, smaller explosion was heard. "That'll be Team JNPR taking out your defences. Blanche and Neo are busy dealing your other lackeys – with backup in the wings." He smirked. "Who do you think'll win? The psycho mute or the psycho scorpion? Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen – I'm leaning towards the girl with teleportation powers and a full team of huntsmen."

He nodded towards the skyline. "Soon, the full might of the Atlas Military, Mistral Armed Forces, everyone Vacuo had to spare and an army of huntsman from around the globe will march on down and deal with your army of Grimm. A shame that Ironwood has had people clearing out the Grimm for miles quietly to build up to this – otherwise, you might have been prepared. You're finished, Salem. Toast."

Salem growled. "Your weapons mean nothing to me. I could destroy armies with a wave of my hand, this is no different."

"Oh yeah? What if we take you out first?"

Salem smiled evilly. "Of course. Take out the evil witch, then mop up the mess with an army. Classic tactics. You think Ozma hasn't tried this before? I defeated him last time and I will defeat him this time."

"Actually this was my plan." Roman gestured with his cane. "You'd be surprised how much the criminal underworld involves this kind of tactics."

She laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. You will be upset to find that I am immortal. I suppose you cannot be faulted for not knowing this, being as you are but a pawn." She leaned closer, stepping towards him with glowing hands. "So then, 'innocent kingpin': how do you plan to defeat somebody who can't be beaten and will _never_ die?"

Roman nodded. "Why don't we come back to that thing you mentioned earlier. Hmm?" Salem straightened, growling a little. "Yeah, this was a stupid risk. See, I already knew you wouldn't die. Hell, I planned on it! Once upon a time, I would have called myself crazy. But there are things that make people take stupid risks."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah." He heard a rustling at the door and smiled. Salem was oblivious, focused on him. "Certain forces can conspire, things far stronger than you or I, that make us do very, _very _stupid things."

"What, the gods?"

"No, not those old bastards." He waved a hand. "I meant it in a more emotional sense." He shook his head. "Y'know, I would of thought you'd know this. It's the same reason you're the way you are!"

"What, the _grimm pools_ got you to do this?"

Roman sighed. "Sarcasm doesn't become you, doll. No, love! Love is the thing I'm taking about." Salem's eyes became more sympathetic for a second, before hardening again. "I met this girl who tried to convince me that I could do anything. That hope was valuable, that friends were more than just a ticking timebomb. She taught me to trust, Salem. And now, I trusted her to lead me here."

Salem looked him over. "So you are a fool in love, then?"

He smirked again. "You know it, doll."

She lifted her hands and they glowed even more intensely. "Then you will die a fool."

"Who doesn't?" He looked down at his watch. The time was right. "Looks like I stalled you long enough."

Salem blinked, stepping back. "Stalled?"

Roman stepped aside, calling towards the door. "It's go time, honey!"

Upon his call, before Salem could react, the doors flew open with a gust of rose petals. The room was bathed with silver light.

* * *

**And it's finished. After many months, it's done.**

**Y'know, this is the first story I've ever made that has really gotten popular. Everthing else flopped. All In all, I'd call this a resounding success.**

**This really has been a great year for me. I really started writing in 2013, but never had the strength of will to truly stick to something. Here, I have finally managed to write a full story which people actually, truly enjoy! I'm so glad to share it with you, and look forward to sharing more of my ideas with you guys in the future. Again, check out my Twitter and Tumblr (XaosDiscordial) if you are interested.**

**The crazy thing is, I'm so close to being an adult now. And yet, here I am – finally achieving the dreams of a 11 year old boy. It's a little exhilarating, as well as exciting. Coming into the new decade, I can feel new and amazing things on the horizon.**

**Thank you all for taking time to stick with me on this maiden voyage. It hasn't all been easy – hell, most of it wasn't – but you stuck with me through week long hiatuses and involuntarily pauses, all to this point.**

**I'm so lucky to have you guys here. This has been an adventure worth having.**

**Welcome to the Rawring Twenties, baby. See you dreckly!**

**Signing off,**

**XaosDiscordial**


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